Turning to Another
by amberissmiling
Summary: Dylan chose Kelly and nearly destroyed Brenda. When sparks fly between Brenda and David, will either of them be able to resist?
1. Chapter 1

Brenda was miserable. She wished she could hate Dylan but she couldn't make herself do it. He and Kelly were always together and she couldn't get away from them. Donna and David had broken up, but Donna had moved on to another guy. _Why can't I do that?_ Brenda wondered to herself, pacing her room.

A knock on her bedroom door startled her and she opened it. "David," she said, surprised. "I wasn't expecting you." A little embarrassed to be caught in a sports bra and short shorts, Brenda couldn't help but blush.

David looked at her legs, audibly swallowing before looking back at her eyes. He seemed as embarrassed as she was. "Sorry," he said lowly, and then cleared his throat. "I have that video from last year you were asking about and was over by here." He shrugged. "I figured I would just drop it off."

Brenda smiled. "You have it?" she asked excitedly. He held it up. Brenda squealed and hugged him, thinking that there would be hope for her communications project after all.

When her skin touched David's, Brenda felt as if she were burned. She slowly pulled back, no longer smiling. Staring into David's eyes, Brenda became even more confused. David looked just as unsure as she was.

"Um…" Brenda said, stepping back slightly. "Sorry. This class is really important. I guess I just got carried away."

David nodded, his hands clenched at his waist. "No problem," he said, forcing himself to relax. This was Brenda, Donna's best friend. Kelly's frenemy. She and David had always been friends, but never close. His sudden desire to know more about her was a little scary. His hands wanted to touch her legs, to see if they were as soft as they felt. His eyes kept moving to her chest, and he couldn't seem to stop staring. When he noticed her biting her bottom lip he almost groaned. He reached around for his backpack. "Do you want to watch what I've got?"

Brenda smiled at him. "That's a good idea. Let me have it."

David looked at her. "Wouldn't you rather watch it downstairs? Do your parents care that we're up here alone?" Brandon had let him in, but he'd been on the way out.

"Nah, they're out of town for the night and Brandon is working." Brenda said over her shoulder, putting the tape in the vcr in her room. When she bent over, David took a step closer to her, hands almost reaching for her. Closing his eyes, he counted to ten. He couldn't believe how his body was acting; it hadn't been that long since he'd been with a woman…he wasn't starved for affection and he normally didn't act this way. Knowing that they were alone and could be for hours caused his gut to tighten up.

Brenda fast forwarded the tape, pausing at random times. She paused once at a part that showed her and Dylan and David saw her tense up. He loved Kelly like a sister but suddenly he was unbelievably angry at her for hurting Brenda. He moved closer to her. "It still hurts, doesn't it?" he asked her.

Brenda looked back and up at him. "I don't think it'll ever stop," she whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.

David dropped his backpack and reached out to touch Brenda's face. She closed her eyes at his touch. He ran his thumb across her lips, noticing for the first time how red they were. Her skin was smooth and pale, like silk. "I hurt Donna," he said, dropping his hand. Brenda opened her eyes and nodded at him, turning back to the video.

"I don't know why you slept with that girl," Brenda said, "but at least it wasn't her best friend."

David realized that she was now trying to distance herself from him. Though that must mean she was feeling something for him, too, it bothered him to know that she would never cross that line. Donna meant too much to her. "She's moved on," David said, sitting beside her.

Brenda shrugged. "Some things you can't move on from," she said softly. She continued with the video, pausing every now and then and asking David questions. Watching the tv, David didn't notice that she was crying for a few moments.

Watching a clip of her and Dylan dancing, David turned toward her to say something about her moves and noticed the tears. "Brenda," he said, watching her. "Don't."

Brenda wiped her face but more tears came. She looked at David. "I can't stop," she said sadly, shrugging.

David put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer to him. She rested her cheek on his chest, crying. David just held her, rocking slightly back and forth. He became aware of her perfume- a light scent that smelled like vanilla. He noticed how warm she was, and how soft she felt.

Her tears tapered off and she pulled back, wiping the last of the tears off of her face. "I am so sorry," she said, standing up. David stood up too, watching her face.

"It will be okay," he told her softly.

"That's what they keep telling me," she said bitterly.

Without thinking about what he was doing, David moved closer to her and gently touched his lips to hers. She gasped and he used that moment to deepen the kiss. His tongue caressed her lips and she groaned, putting her arms around him.

David ran his hand through her long dark hair, catching a fistful of it at the nape of her neck. His other hand slowly ran down her body, stopping at the small of her back to pull her closer to him. His lips left hers and he trailed kisses down her throat, moving to nibble on her ear. Brenda gasped and the sound drove him wild. He wanted to be inside her; there was no other way to be close enough to her.

He turned and lowered her onto the bed. She hooked her left leg around him but left her right leg stretched out. Running his hand up that leg, David slowly moved it under her shorts, watching her face for any sign of unease. Instead, Brenda arched off of the bed, moving against his hand. When he discovered how wet she was, David nearly lost it.

"Brenda," he whispered, watching her face. Her eyes were closed and her chest was heaving. She opened her eyes and looked at him as he sank a finger into her, both of her hands grabbing the bed frame. She was still biting her lip and David wanted to bite it too. Moving his finger inside her, David leaned down and kissed her, catching her bottom lip in his teeth and biting gently. Brenda groaned and ran her hands up his arms, pulling his head down for a hard kiss. When he kept moving his finger inside of her, Brenda began breathing harshly through her mouth, no longer kissing him.

Pulling his shirt up, Brenda pulled it over his head, throwing it in the floor beside the bed. She ran her hands over his body, touching every part of him she could. "David," she whispered, groaning. "I've never…" she gasped when he bit her lightly through the sports bra.

David paused for a moment, looking at her. She was so beautiful, especially when she was looking at him like that. "You've never what?" he asked, curious. Her body tightened around his finger and he closed his eyes, clenching his teeth.

"I've never been with anyone but Dylan," she said, as if ashamed.

David smiled at her. "It'll be okay Bren," he said, repeating his earlier words. She nodded, looking up at him innocently. Traces of her tears were still on her cheeks. He slowly lowered his head and kissed them, trailing kisses down her face and lightly nipping her neck. Brenda closed her eyes as her hands roamed his body.

David lowered his head and his tongue licked her stomach. Brenda gasped. With his hands, he pushed her bra up, freeing her breasts. "God," he whispered, looking at them. With his left hand he kneaded her right breast, running his tongue over the left one. He'd been right; she tasted as good as she looked.

Brenda groaned, her head moving back and forth. David looked at her while he gently bit her nipple. "David," she gasped, putting both hands in her hair and pulling him to her. She kissed him hard, wrapping her legs around him and grinding against him. "Please," she said softly, urgently.

David looked down at her. "You're so beautiful," he told her. With his eyes still on her, he pulled her shorts down and then off. She pulled her bra off and laid back on the bed, watching him. His eyes moved down her body and his hands soon followed. As did his mouth. When his tongue found her center, she cried out. Smiling, David used his hands to hold her down and kept moving his tongue in slow circles.

"David," she sobbed, pulling his hair, trying to get him to stop. Then her whole body tensed and her hips arched. She screamed, pulling his hair harder. David, breathing hard, stopped for a moment, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he rolled Brenda over on her stomach. He kissed her back, moving up to the back of her neck. His hands moved up her sides, pulling her up slightly and cupping her breasts. "David, please," she said into her pillow, pushing herself into him. His breath caught. "Please."

"Please what, Bren," he asked her, taking a handful of her hair and using it to pull her head back. "What do you want?" he asked in her ear, licking it.

"I need you inside me," she said, moving her hips against his. David let go of her hair and quickly removed his pants. Rolling a condom on, he moved back over Brenda. He rubbed himself against her, back and forth. He slowly pushed the tip of inside her, stretching her, then pulled out and rubbed against her. She moaned and moved against him.

"Are you ready for me, Bren?"

Instead of answering, Brenda reached between them and took him, guiding him into her. He groaned, entering her slowly. She was so tight and felt so good, he thought he was going to explode. Brenda pushed back against him, taking all of him. They both gasped.

Moving slowly, he reached around and found her with his hand, making the small circles that drove her wild. He felt her muscles tensing and she pushed back into him harder and faster. She was moaning, trembling, and he realized he was too. Soon he was pounding into her, unable to move slowly anymore. He felt her tighten up, her muscles convulsing around him and he let go, pounding into her harder. Her scream covered his own and he moved both of his hands to her hips, holding onto them as he rammed into her a few more times.

He fell to the side of her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. They were both breathing hard. "Oh God," Brenda said, covering her face with her hands. "What have I done?"

David tightened his hold on her. "It was my fault," he told her. He rolled her around to look at him. "And I'm not sorry, Brenda."

Brenda wrapped her leg around his waist and ran her hand through his hair. "How did this happen?"

David shrugged, watching her face. "I don't know. When I walked in here, the only thing I could think of was being with you."

Brenda leaned closer to him and kissed him softly on the lips. "We can figure out what this means later. For now…can we not tell anyone? Would that be okay?"

David chuckled. "Worried about hurting my feelings, Bren?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone," she said. "And I'm afraid this would." She looked down and he knew she was thinking about Donna.

"It will work out, Brenda."


	2. Chapter 2

They slowly got up, getting dressed. Brenda put on a short robe instead of her shorts and bra. She walked David down the stairs, watching the way his muscles moved under his shirt. She realized she wanted him again.

"David," she said softly, and he turned around so fast she ran into him. His mouth found hers and she stuck both of her hands in his hair, kissing him back. She raised her leg and put it around him.

David grabbed her other leg, and with them wrapped around him he carried her down the rest of the stairs and toward the dining room table. Brenda pulled his shirt off and kissed his neck, moving her mouth to his chest and then down his stomach. "Brenda," David said warningly.

"Shut up, David," she said, moving him around and laying him out on the table. Kissing his stomach, she unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down over his hips. He kicked them off and reached for her but she laughed and ducked his hands.

With her hands on his legs, Brenda licked his stomach, moving her mouth downward still. When her tongue licked the tip of him, he groaned and reached for her again. "Stop," she warned him. She licked him again, then put her mouth over him. His hands got tangled in her hair and he couldn't stop his hips from moving. Brenda kept her mouth on him, taking him in and out of her mouth until he couldn't take anymore.

"Enough," he said, pulling her up to him. Laying on top of him, she removed her robe and sat up. Putting his arms around her, David pulled her towards him, his mouth finding her breast. She moaned, rocking her hips against him. Rubbing together, David laid his head back on the table and closed his eyes. Opening them, he watched her; head thrown back, eyes closed, skin glistening in the sunlight. He moved his thumb until it was touching her, rubbing her.

A small scream escaped her and she moved so that he was in her. Groaning, he put his free hand on her hips, guiding the rhythm. Brenda leaned back, hands on his legs, rolling her hips slowly one way, then the other. He never took his hand off of her and her breathing quickly became very ragged. She moved faster, grinding herself on him. With a scream she came, moving faster still, with David right behind her, groaning her name.

The front door slammed open and Dylan ran into the room, yelling her name. He stopped short when he saw them, slowly lowering the rock he was holding. "What is this?" he asked, not believing what he was seeing.

Instead of scrambling to get dressed, Brenda looked at Dylan over her shoulder and slowly moved off of David. Standing, completely naked, she glared at him. "What are you doing in here?"

"I heard you scream. I thought someone was hurting you." He threw the rock down, staring her up and down with eyes full of contempt. "David Silver, Bren? Really?"

David, who had gotten his pants on, moved toward Brenda, handing her her robe. "What of it, McKay?" he said as she put it on.

"How long has this been going on?" Dylan asked David, fists clenched.

"How is that any of your business?" David asked him, putting his arm around Brenda's shoulders. "You're with Kelly now, remember?"

Dylan pointed at David. "Don't push me, Silver," he warned the other man.

"Just leave, Dylan," Brenda told him. She was trying to be strong, but she was devastated. To think that she was getting over Dylan only to have him show up at a time like this? She could still feel David's lips on her skin; that same skin burned where Dylan's eyes touched.

"I want to talk to you," he told her, not looking at David.

"Look," David said, stepping forward. Brenda put her hand on his arm, stopping him. He looked back at her.

"Can you come back in ten minutes?" she asked him. She knew it was a lot to ask, but she knew that Dylan wouldn't leave until they talked.

"Are you sure?" David asked her, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "Will you be okay?"

Touched that he was worried about her rather than what she was asking of him, she smiled. "I will be." On impulse, she reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Thank you David," she whispered. "For everything."

David nodded. "I'll be back in ten minutes." He looked at Dylan. "Ten minutes."

Dylan didn't watch him leave. He never took his eyes off of Brenda. When the door shut, neither spoke for a moment. Dylan stared at her, then walked toward her.

Surprised, Brenda opened her mouth to say something but before she could Dylan had reached her and covered her lips with his. His hands moved through her hair, pulling her closer to him. Brenda's hands were pressed against his chest and she pushed him. Dylan ignored her, walking her back toward the wall. Brenda broke away from his kiss, turning her head away from him. Dylan's lips moved down her throat, his hands holding hers against the wall. He moved his leg between hers, parting her legs.

"Dylan, stop it," she pleaded, trying to move away from him. "Stop it!"

Dylan ignored her, moving her hands above her head and holding them with one of his. With his other hand, he reached between them and undid her robe, forcing it open. Brenda started to cry, twisting to get away from him. "Stop it!" she yelled.

Dylan kissed her again, his lips punishing hers. His hand found her breast and he squeezed it hard. "You're just giving it away now Bren, right? To anyone?"

Tears streaming down her face, she started at him in horror. "Have you been drinking?" she whispered.

"So what if I have? I can drink if I want to."

"Dylan, please stop this. You're scaring me."

"Does Silver make you feel safe Bren?" he asked her, leaning down to bite her neck.

"Leave David out of this, Dylan. Why are you doing this?"

Dylan sighed and dropped her hands, moving back. Brenda pulled the robe closed and stayed by the wall, afraid to move.

"I'm so sorry Brenda," he said, staring up at her with tear filled eyes. "When I saw…" He looked away. "When I thought someone was hurting you, my heart stopped beating. I was going to kill whoever it was. When I got in her and saw you and Silver…" he rubbed his face with his hands, then looked at her. "I wish someone had been hurting you."

"Someone has been hurting me," she said. "You."

Dylan walked across the room, his back to her. "I can't believe you're sleeping with someone else."

Anger edged out fear and Brenda straightened from the wall. "Dylan, it is absolutely none of your business who I'm sleeping with. You lost the right to know about my sex life when you started inviting Kelly into yours."

Dylan turned around, the tears that had filled his eyes now moving down his cheeks. "I messed up, Bren," he said softly. "God, I messed up so badly." He moved closer toward her, but stopped when he noticed her step back. "I don't want to be with Kelly. I never wanted to be with Kelly. You're the only one I've ever wanted."

Brenda's heart twisted in her chest. "Dylan, what are you talking about? You chose Kelly. You two are happy together."

Dylan shook his head. "I haven't been happy since you left for Paris, Bren. I can't take it anymore." He walked to the table and sat down, putting his head in his hands. "I broke it off with Kelly tonight. I told her that you're the only woman I've ever loved." Brenda gasped. "She told me that I wasn't good enough for you. I knew it was true. And I knew that I'd hurt you. I couldn't face it…couldn't face you. So I got drunk." He laughed humorlessly. "And here I am."

"Dylan," Brenda said miserably. She didn't know what to do. She loved Dylan with all of her heart. She knew that she always would. But she didn't trust him. And now, with this new thing starting with David…

"I'll get out of here," Dylan said, standing.

"You shouldn't be driving," Brenda told him.

"I'll call a cab, Bren," he told her. "That's how I got here."

"I'm sorry, Dylan," she said, tears in her eyes.

He looked at her. "Me too, Bren. Me too." He walked toward the door. "I'll talk to you later."

She stood there, not moving until David came back in. "Brenda?" he asked. She began to cry and fell into his arms. Picking her up, he carried her back upstairs and laid her in her bed. "Are you okay?"

"No," she said, reaching for him. David laid beside her and she put her face in his shoulder, crying. "He'd been drinking," she told him. "He said that he broke up with Kelly tonight because he realized he'd never love anyone but me."

"Damn," David said, stroking her hair. He tipped her chin up so that she was looking at him. "If I hadn't come over and Dylan had instead, what would you have done?"

Brenda thought about it. "I would have jumped into his arms and been grateful."

David nodded.

"Now, though, that seems so weak of me."

"What do you mean?" David asked her, propping his head up on his arm and looking down at her.

"It's just that it's always what Dylan wants, you know? I sit here," she looked at her room, "and I think about him and I cry and I want to be with him…I've made him my life. I don't want someone who can hurt me so badly to be so important to me."

David brushed her hair off of her face. "If you love someone with your whole heart, Bren, they can always hurt you like that."

Brenda closed her eyes and hugged David close. "I'm sick of being hurt," she said into his chest.

Not knowing what to say, David just held her. He wasn't sure what this thing between them was, but he knew that he wanted to be with her. He felt like he needed to protect her.

Brenda's lips brushed his neck and David's groin tightened. "Brenda," he said softly, pulling back. "You're confused."

"I'm not confused about this, David," she said, looking into his eyes. She leaned closer and kissed him sweetly, softly. David groaned and brought his hand up to her face, gently rubbing her cheek with his thumb. They slowly removed each others clothes, kissing and touching each other.

David saw a bruise forming on her breast and stopped moving. "Oh God, did I hurt you?"

Brenda sighed. "Dylan did that," she told him.

"What?" David yelled, jumping up from the bed. "What do you mean, Dylan did that? He hurt you and you didn't say anything?"

Brenda rose from the bed. "Don't worry about it, David," she said, taking his hand and pulling him back toward her. "He's gone and I'm okay."

David was furious. "I'll kill him," he said, looking into her eyes.

Brenda took his face in both of her hands and kissed him. "Let it go," she pleaded with him softly.

Realizing that was exactly what she was trying to do, David gave in. Right now was about Brenda. Later, he'd find Dylan. He sank back into the bed with her and made love to her, pushing any thoughts of the other man out of both of their minds.


	3. Chapter 3

"Donna," Brenda called to her friend, catching her outside the Peach Pit. When she turned around and smiled at her, Brenda's stomach clenched.

"Brenda!" Donna said excitedly. "I'm so glad I ran into you! I have such exciting news!" She hugged her friend, really looking at her. "Bren? Are you okay?"

Brenda knew she looked bad. She hadn't been able to sleep for days. David had called the house, Dylan had called, Brandon kept checking on her, her parents were worried…all she could think about was Donna. "Oh Donna, I have to tell you something."

"Okay, let's go inside," Donna said, concerned.

Brenda shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. "Could we maybe go for a walk instead?"

"Sure," Donna said, noting how skinny Brenda's arms had gotten. When had that happened? She'd just seen her last week and she'd been fine. Upset over Dylan and Kelly, but fine.

They walked, holding hands, to a city park that was close by. They sat on the bench and watched a group of kids play with a dog. "Brenda…what is it? What's wrong?"

Brenda couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. "Donna, I am so sorry," she told her friend.

Alarmed, Donna hugged her. "It's okay, Bren."

Brenda pulled away from her, wiping tears from her eyes. "No it's not, Donna. It's not okay. I did something I swore I'd never do." She looked into Donnas' eyes. "Donna, I slept with David."

Donna stared at her for a moment, shocked. "What?" she said, sure she'd misheard her friend.

"I am so sorry, Donna," Brenda said, crying again. "Neither of us really meant for it to happen. He brought that video over and I was crying over stupid Dylan and it just…happened." She took a deep breath. "I'll understand if you never want to talk to me again, Donna. I will never forgive myself for doing this."

Donna realized that Brenda had probably not eaten or slept since she'd been with David. After the pain Dylan and Kelly had put her through, Donna knew Brenda must be terribly upset about doing something so similar. "Brenda, I love David. I probably always will," she said softly, still reeling. "But we broke up and I've moved on. As much as I love him, we don't belong together." Brenda sobbed and Donna put her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Brenda, stop. You're making yourself sick."

"I can't," she said. "At the time, all I could think about was forgetting Dylan and how great it felt to be with someone, anyone else. Now I'm sick thinking that I've done you just like they did me."

"It's not exactly the same, Brenda," Donna tried to reassure her friend. "It hurts," she admitted. "But not as much as I thought it would." When Brenda kept crying, Donna pulled her hands toward her. "Brenda, stop it. I'm telling you that it's okay."

"What?" Brenda asked incredulously. "Donna…don't you hate me? I hate me."

"I could never hate you, Brenda. You have the best heart of anyone I know." When Brenda shook her head, Donna grabbed her chin and forced Brenda to look at her. "Brenda, it's true. I know that you would never hurt me on purpose."

Donna pulled Brenda in for a hug. "Are you two…seeing each other now?"

Brenda shook her head. "No, I could never do that."

Donna pulled back. "Brenda, there had to be something strong going on between you two for this to happen."

Brenda nodded. "I don't really know what was going on. But there's a rule, you know? A girl code rule. You do not, under any circumstances, date any of your friends ex boyfriends."

"That's not always true, Brenda."

Brenda stared at her friend in shock. "You're not seriously suggesting I date David, Donna."

Donna shrugged. "I think you should if it feels right."

Brenda kept staring at her, eyes wide. "But…Donna…You…"

"I'm going to Texas for a while, Bren," Donna told her. "I haven't told anyone yet, but it's all worked out."

"What? Texas? Is it because of David?" Brenda asked.

Donna shrugged. "That was part of it, in the beginning. But I just need a change, you know? I can't just hang out here for the rest of my life, doing the same things. You have your theater. David has his music. Brandon has his writing. Andrea is going to be a doctor. What am I doing?" She looked out towards the park pond. "There's a design program in Texas that I'm really interested in, and I've been accepted. Mom is so excited," she said with a laugh. "She's throwing me a huge "coming out" party."

"I had no idea," Brenda said, appalled that her friend was thinking about these things and she'd not known.

"No one did. I was afraid to say anything until I was accepted. Didn't want to jinx myself." She laughed. "But Bren, you have to come to my debutante ball, okay? Please?"

Brenda smiled for the first time in days. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," she told her friend.

Donna took Brenda's hand and told her about her dress. "And then there's Troy," she said, smiling dreamily.

"Troy?" Brenda asked, smiling and arching her eyebrow.

"Oh, Brenda, he's so amazing!" Donna gushed. "He's smart and sweet and funny…and gorgeous!"

Both women laughed. "Is he in Texas?"

Donna nodded. "He will be. He's my escort to the ball."

"Donna Martin, you're blushing!" Brenda said, laughing.

"I can't help it!" Donna said, fanning herself.

"What about the apartment? Will Kelly have to find a new roommate?"

"I don't know what she's going to do. Honestly, Brenda, I don't care. She's been so self-centered lately and so _completely _judgmental. Did you know Dylan broke things off with her?"

Brenda looked down. "Yeah. Dylan came over the other day while David was at the house."

Donnas' mouth fell open. "Oh my gosh! What happened?"

"This is so weird," Brenda said softly. "I am so sorry, Donna."

Donna lightly slapped Brenda's hand. "Just tell me what happened!"

"Well, David and I were…uh…in the dining room, and Dylan burst into the house and saw us…together."

"Oh my gosh!" Donna said again. "What did he say?"

"He was so angry, Donna," Brenda said, looking away. "David left for a few minutes and Dylan kissed me." She put her hand to her mouth. "He hurt me." Donna gasped. "It's okay," Brenda said quickly. "It was just a shock. He'd been drinking. Told me that he'd broken things off with Kelly because he was still in love with me."

"Oh. My. Gosh," Donna said.

Brenda put her face in her hands. "It was awful."

"What did you say?"

"I didn't really say anything. He just left. I didn't know what to say, Donna."

"Bren, do you want to be with Dylan?"

"I love him so much. He's the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. But there are so many problems between us. How could I ever trust him again?"

"Maybe time away from him will be a good thing," Donna said uncertainly.

Brenda sighed and shrugged. "Maybe."

"Have you talked to David about it?"

Brenda shook her head. "I haven't talked to David since that day. I didn't want to make it worse…"

"You should talk to him, Bren. Explain, at least."

Brenda looked at Donna. "He was worried about hurting you, too," she told her friend softly.

Donna nodded. "Like I said, a part of me will always love him. First love and all that. But I'm excited about the changes I'm making in my life, Bren. I'm not thinking about the past." She looked at her friend. "I want you to be happy. If David makes you happy, then you should talk to him."

Though she felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulder, Brenda frowned. "How can you leave me, Donna? You're my best friend."

Donna sighed and put her head on Brenda's shoulder. "It's not forever, Bren. It's not even for very long. And we can call each other every night."

Brenda threaded her fingers through Donnas'. "I love you, Donna."

Donna squeezed her hand. "I love you too, Bren."

They sat and watched the sun set, each thinking about how lonely they would be without the other.


	4. Chapter 4

Brenda pulled up to her house and sat in the car for a minute. How had things gotten to be such a mess? Brandon, who had been working on his Mustang, walked toward her car. She sighed and got out. "Hey Brandon," she said, shutting the door and leaning back on it.

"Brenda," he said, walking up to her. He just looked at her a moment. "What's going on?"

She reached for him and put her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. Brandon put his arms around her and waited. "I'm just a mess, Brandon."

"Is this about Dylan and Kelly? And why is David Silver calling here all of the time?"

Brenda groaned and looked up at her brother. "It's a long, painful story."

"I've got time," he told her.

They walked back toward the house and Brenda told him everything. Brandon put a hand on her arm and stopped her. "You slept with _David Silver?_"

"Brandon, don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't act like there's something wrong with David."

Brandon thought about it. He still saw David as the little kid that tagged along with them, though David was now taller than Brandon and had a promising music career. "I'm sorry," he told Brenda sincerely. "It's just…a shock."

"It was to me too," she admitted. She told him about Dylan's visit and about his and Kelly's break up. She didn't mention Dylan hurting her; Brandon would react like David.

Brandon whistled. "That's some heavy stuff, Bren." He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Is that why you're not taking care of yourself?"

"I was afraid I'd hurt Donna. I told her today." She took a deep breath. "She actually encouraged me to give David a chance." Brenda shook her head and looked at her brother in disbelief. "Can you believe that?"

"She knows your heart, Bren. You would never hurt her on purpose."

"I like to think that, too…but I did hurt her."

Brandon hesitated. "Dylan has been calling too."

Brenda nodded. "I know. Mom told me. I just don't think I can talk to him right now."

"I never thought I'd see the day Brenda Walsh would rather talk to David Silver than Dylan McKay," Brandon said, teasing her.

Brenda pushed him slightly. "Don't start with me, Brandon. I'm a very confused woman."

Brenda went up to her room and took a shower, hoping to clear her head. While she was dressing Cindy knocked on the door. "Brenda?"

Opening the door and towel drying her hair, Brenda said, "Yeah, mom?"

"David Silver is here, asking to see you…" Cindy said. She shrugged. "Should I tell him to come up?"

Brenda took a deep breath. "Sure," she said.

"Is there something going on with you and David, Brenda?" Cindy asked, curious.

"I don't know what's going on with anyone, Mom," Brenda answered truthfully.

Satisfied, Cindy nodded. "I'll send him up."

Brenda's heart sped up while she waited. Though she'd not talked to David, she'd thought about him constantly. She'd told Donna she thought about Dylan when she woke up and when she went to sleep and that was true. But when she was thinking about Dylan, she was also thinking about David.

"Brenda?" David asked, hesitating at the door. "Is it okay if I come in?"

Brenda walked to him and pulled him in the room, shutting the door. Holding his hand, Brenda remembered all of the things he could do to her with it and her entire body tingled. Without saying a word, she pushed him back against the door, wrapping her fingers in his hair and pulling his head down until their lips met.

David wrapped his arms around Brenda, pulling her close to him. Her skin was soft and slick from the lotion she used and her hair smelled like strawberries. Her mouth opened for him and his tongue delved inside. Forgetting where they were, David walked her back toward the bed and laid her down on it, stretching out on top of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he groaned.

His hands moved up her smooth legs, sending streaks of warmth through Brenda. She put her hand under his shirt, her fingers tracing the outline of his stomach muscles, then moving to his chest. Impatient, she pulled his shirt over his head and licked his nipple. David's hands stopped exploring her legs and moved up to clench her butt. "Brenda," he warned, whispering. "If you don't stop, I won't be able to."

"I don't want you to," she said softly.

"But your parents," he said.

She sighed. He was right. "I'm sorry, David. I guess I wasn't thinking."

Dylan looked down at her, then let go of her and rose up slowly. "You have no idea how much I wish I hadn't mentioned your parents."

Brenda laughed lightly and sat up. David leaned closer and kissed her softly, his lips caressing hers. Brenda pushed closer to him, deepening the kiss.

"Why haven't you called me back Bren?" David asked her, pulling back and looking into her eyes.

"I was afraid something like this would happen," she admitted.

Confused, David watched her face. "Something like this already happened," he reminded her.

Brenda nodded. "But I couldn't seem to stop myself. And I knew it would hurt Donna. So I ignored your phone calls and hoped that I would just never run into you anymore."

Though he didn't understand, David nodded. "And now?"

"I talked to Donna today," she told him, nodding when his eyes widened. "I told her that I slept with you."

David stood up and put his hand through his hair. "You should have said something to me. We could have talked to her together. This wasn't just you."

Brenda reached for him, holding his hand. "She's okay, David."

He looked at her. "Really?"

Brenda nodded. "It hurt her," she said, wincing. "But after I told her, she was actually trying to convince me that I should give you a chance."

"Really?" David said again, this time with a slight smile. "That sounds like her, though, doesn't it?" He sat back on the bed.

"She's my best friend," Brenda said. "I don't want to hurt her. But I honestly think she's moving on." She looked at David. "Are you? Really?"

David sighed, holding her hand. "I think so. She still means so much to me, and I want her to be happy…I just don't think she can be happy with me."

"That's sort of what she said, too. She's going to Texas for a while."

"What? Texas?"

Brenda laughed. "That's exactly what I said! But there's a design program there she's really interested in."

"I know about that. She's mentioned it several times." His smile widened. "She's really going to do it?" Brenda nodded. "That's great."

"I feel bad because I didn't know anything about it. I'm supposed to be her best friend and I've been so worried about my own issues I haven't even given much thought to hers," Brenda said, frowning.

"I didn't know she had applied. I'd just heard her talking about it." David leaned over and kissed her cheek. "And for the record, Bren, I think you're an amazing friend."

"Is that what we are, David? Friends?"

"It's what we have been," he told her. "Now I'm thinking it's not enough."

"So…what are we doing?"

David sighed. "I don't know. All I know is that I like the way I feel when I'm around you." He smiled at her lasciviously. "Almost as much as I like the way I feel when I'm inside you."

Brenda's breath caught in her chest. "Really," she murmured, moving on the bed until she straddled him. "And how much do you like that?" she said, rolling her hips against his, licking his lips.

David grabbed her butt and pushed her down on him as he rose up, and Brenda gasped. He smiled. "I think I've met my match," he said against her lips. "But then, so have you."

Brenda smiled. "We'll see," she said, slowly moving off of him. She gave him her hand and he stood. "We should probably go downstairs before my parents start wondering what we're doing up here."

Before she opened the door, he stopped her. "Brenda," he said seriously. "I meant it when I said I wanted to be with you. I'm not sure what you're looking for, but I'll take whatever you give me."

"I don't know what I'm looking for either," she said honestly. She leaned against the door. "David, if we're going to be together, even if it's not serious, I want to be the only one you're seeing."

David nodded. "I can do that," he said solemnly.

Brenda knew it would give away how vulnerable she actually was, but she had to ask. "Promise?" she said softly.

David looked into her eyes. "I promise," he said, bending down and kissing her.

Brenda nodded, deciding to believe him. Opening the door, she led him towards the back yard. It was time to tell her parents that she was officially "seeing" David Silver.


	5. Chapter 5

Brenda walked across campus reading the script for a play she planned to audition for. David had been running her lines with her, which had seemed so odd at first; now it felt natural. She'd begged him to try out too, but he'd laughed and told her music was his thing, not theater.

"Brenda," she heard someone call behind her. Stopping and turning around, she mentally flinched when she saw Kelly walking toward her.

"Hey Kel," she said, plastering a fake smile across her face.

"Where's Dylan," Kelly asked sarcastically, pretending to look around for the man.

Brenda rolled her eyes. "I don't know, Kelly. I haven't seen him."

Kelly crossed her arms. "Am I supposed to believe that?"

"Believe what you want, Kelly," Brenda said, shrugging. "I haven't seen Dylan in over a week."

"He told me that he was going back to you," Kelly said accusingly.

Brenda put her hands on her hips. "What makes you think I wanted him back?"

Kelly stepped back slightly, shocked. "You don't want Dylan back?"

"You may find this hard to believe, Kelly, but there are more men than Dylan McKay."

"But you're in love with Dylan," Kelly said, confused.

"So?" Brenda asked.

"So…wait, what?" Kelly's brow pinched.

Brenda sighed again. "I am in love with Dylan. I am also sick of dealing with all of the drama that is attached to being with him. You, Kelly, being some of that drama."

"You're sick of me. That's what you're saying, right?"

"Maybe," Brenda said honestly. "You cause pain wherever you go." At Kelly's gasp, she continued. "I don't know if you mean to do it or not, but it gets old. And now Donna is gone, so there's no buffer."

"Brenda!" David called from behind her, walking up and putting his arms around her. He kissed her on the cheek, the looked at Kelly. "Oh, hey, Kel."

Kelly stared at the two of them, mouth open in shock. "Brenda, you're dating _David_? How could you do that to Donna? After all that drama about me and Dylan betraying you, you do this?"

Brenda opened her mouth to reply but David beat her to it. "It's no one's business who Brenda dates," he told Kelly.

Kelly snarled at Brenda. "So it's okay for you to do it, but not me, right?"

"I talked to Donna about it, Kelly. She encouraged me to date David." She shrugged. "I like him. He likes me. We're dating."

"You told Dylan he could date anyone he wanted, too," Kelly reminded Brenda.

Standing up straight and pulling away from David, Brenda stepped closer to Kelly. "You and Dylan were messing around behind my back when I was in Paris, Kelly. And what about this situation do you not understand? I don't _care _if you and Dylan are dating. I don't care if you're not. I'm trying to move on with my life."

"Saint Brenda," Kelly said sarcastically. She looked at David. "I took up for you when you broke Donnas' heart, David. I've always stood beside you. Why are you doing this?"

"What are you talking about Kelly?" David asked, honestly confused. "How does me having feelings for Brenda affect you in any way?"

Brenda arched her brow at Kelly. "Don't you know, David? There have always been two sides; mine and Kelly's." She looked at David over her shoulder.

David shook his head. "That's ridiculous."

Brenda looked back at Kelly. "You're right, it is. And I'm sick of it. David is your brother, Kelly. He cares about you. But he cares about me, too."

David moved to stand beside Brenda. "I do care about you, Kel. And I would like for you to be happy for me and Brenda." He shrugged. "I can't help it if you're not, though. I'm still going to see her."

Kelly put her hand to her head. "I can't deal with this right now," she said, moving past them and walking off.

"Kelly," Brenda called, moving toward her.

"Don't," David told her, holding on to her arm. Brenda looked at him. "She's dealing with her own stuff, Brenda. It doesn't really have anything to do with us."

Brenda nodded, watching Kelly move through other students. She looked up at David. "Thanks for standing by me."

David pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. "I'm with you. I'm going to stand by you."

Warmed, Brenda wrapped her arms around him. "It's almost time for the audition," she said nervously.

"I know," David said, smiling at her. "I was coming to see if I could go with you."

Brenda smiled at him. "That would be great," she told him.

Holding hands, they walked toward the theater. "I talked to Donna today," he told her.

"How did that go?"

David let out a breath. "Really well, actually. She's so excited about everything that's going on. I don't remember the last time I saw her so happy."

"I'm going by to see her later. I'm going to help her pack." Brenda sighed. "I really don't want her to go."

They stopped and looked at each other. "It's weird, isn't it?" David asked her, smiling slightly.

"It is. Donna is still so important to both of us…it's just an odd situation."

David looked out at the campus, then back to Brenda. "I want to try this," he told her. "I want to see where this is going. Even if, in the end, we decide we're just friends."

"I want to too," Brenda said, smiling at him. He leaned down and kissed her. Still smiling, Brenda put her arms around him and kissed him back.

"What time are you leaving Donnas' house tonight?" David asked her.

"I don't know. She's leaving really early, so I may not stay long. Why?"

"I have something I want to show you."

Brenda smiled at him. "Sounds good. Where do you want to meet?"

"Meet me at the Peach Pit when you leave Donnas'."

Brenda looked down. "Will Dylan be there?" Dylan owned part of the Peach Pit and seemed to always be there.

"Meet me out front. He won't see us if he is."

"I can do that."

Dylan watched them from across the campus. He couldn't believe how much it hurt him to see Brenda laughing and kissing another man. The image of her and David on the Walsh table wouldn't leave him; it was imprinted in his brain.

He was a mess. He was drinking again, not paying attention to details at the Peach Pit, not doing any of his school work. Kelly kept calling him and he kept ignoring her. He didn't want to talk to Kelly. Kelly was a reminder of how much he'd lost. Jesus, he just couldn't do anything right. Brenda and David walked into the theater and Dylan walked back towards his car. He wouldn't be going to class today. It was time to get a drink.


	6. Chapter 6

Donna took more clothes out of her closet, taking time to fold them and put them in a suitcase. She wasn't sure what Kelly was going to do with the room after she left, so she didn't want to leave anything here.

"Donna!" Kelly yelled from the front room. Donna heard the front door slam. _Crap_, she thought to herself. She'd been avoiding Kelly; she just didn't have the energy to deal with whatever issues Kelly was going through. It was always all about Kelly and Donna was getting tired of being a good friend and getting nothing in return but a headache.

"In here, Kelly," she said tiredly, folding a shirt.

Kelly rushed into the room and sat on Donnas' bed. She looked at Donnas' suitcases and made a face. "I still can't believe you're leaving me to go to some ball."

Sighing, Donna turned back to her closet. "I'm not leaving for the ball, Kelly. I'm leaving for the design class. The ball is just something my mom is doing for me."

"It sounds positively archaic," Kelly said. Donna didn't respond, just kept working through her clothes. "Anyway," Kelly continued, "I saw Brenda today. She said that she hasn't talked to Dylan."

"I know, I've talked to her."

"But did you know she's seeing _David_?"

Donna, facing her closet, rolled her eyes. "I did. We've talked about it."

"But Donna, you're in love with David."

Donna looked back at Kelly. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. But I'm moving on, Kel. Brenda has had a really hard time and David makes her feel better." She shrugged. "I want them to both be happy."

"But it has to hurt you!" Kelly said.

"Like it hurt Brenda when you snuck around with Dylan?" Donna said, annoyed.

"I'm in love with Dylan," Kelly said, as if that made everything better.

"So is Brenda, Kelly, and she was your friend."

"How is it okay for Brenda to date David but not okay for me to date Dylan?" Kelly asked, frustrated.

"I don't know, Kelly. I really don't. It's hard to explain. I honestly love David. But I really don't know if things could have ever worked out between us. And I want him to be happy. Brenda is an amazing person. I want her to be happy too."

"Yeah, everyone loves Brenda," Kelly said bitterly.

"Kelly, just stop it!" Donna said, throwing the clothes she had in her hands on the bed. "I don't know what you have against Brenda, but you're supposed to be her friend!"

"I just can't stand how everyone loves her!" Kelly said, standing up.

"Everyone loves her, Kelly, because she's a good person and a great friend."

"Oh, and I'm not?" Kelly asked scathingly.

"What are you talking about?" Donna asked, frustrated. "We were talking about Brenda! No one said anything about you."

"No one has to! I know that everyone compares us and finds me lacking. They always have."

Donna sat on the bed, staring at her friend. "Kelly, it's not a competition. Everyone loves you both."

"That's not true, Donna, and you know it. Dylan prefers Brenda. David prefers Brenda. Brandon prefers Brenda. If you have a problem, you know you go to Brenda first!"

"Kelly, you're acting crazy," Donna said softly. "Brandon is Brenda's brother. Dylan is in love with Brenda." Kelly flinched, but Donna wouldn't take it back. It was the truth. "You should have never gotten involved in their relationship. What did you think was going to happen? He was suddenly not going to love her anymore?"

"He chose me, Donna!"

"He chose you because Brenda had hurt him and you're easy!" Donna did feel bad for saying that.

Kelly stared at Donna, hurt. "Is that really what you think?"

"Oh, Kelly, isn't it what you think? Isn't that why you're so jealous of Brenda?"

Kelly took a deep breath. "You can't help who you fall in love with," she said softly, close to tears. "And David is _my _brother. Why would he ever side with Brenda?"

"You can't help who you fall in love with, Kel," Donna told her, intentionally using the other woman's words. "And there shouldn't be sides. In a friendship, there is no room for sides, Kelly."

"I don't know how to stop, though," Kelly said. "I feel like I've lost and Brenda didn't even realize we were playing a game."

Donna started folding her clothes again. "I don't know what to say, Kelly. For the last few months, I haven't felt like I could talk to you about anything. You were too busy thinking about yourself."

Kelly stared at her friend. "What?'

Donna looked at her. "Come off of it, Kelly. When you came in here today, you didn't even know why I'm moving to Texas." She zipped one of her bags. "Look," she said, looking at her friend. "I've got a lot of stuff to do and not much time to get it done. Brenda is coming over later to actually help me."

Kelly stood slowly. "I would have helped you if you had asked," she said softly, leaving the room. When she was gone, Donna sank back into the bed. She hadn't meant to say any of those things to Kelly, but someone needed to.

She had no doubt Kelly had come in today intending to make her upset at Brenda. Kelly truly felt like she was at war. Donna just couldn't understand why anyone would act like that. Sighing, she got up and started working again.

A couple of hours later, she was drinking some lemonade when Brenda knocked. "Brenda!" she said happily, letting the other woman in.

Brenda hugged Donna, then handed her a present. "Oh Brenda, you shouldn't have gotten me anything!"

"I knew that you probably wouldn't have a lot of room," Brenda said while Donna opened it. "I didn't want you to forget me though."

Donna unwrapped the present, looking at a picture of the gang. The picture had been taken at the Peach Pit and all of their friends had signed the frame. "Oh, Brenda," she said, tears in her eyes. "This is perfect."

"Kelly hasn't signed it. I saw her earlier, but the conversation never really got around to this." She shrugged. "I figure you can have her sign it before you leave."

"Oh, I don't know if that'll happen," Donna said, carrying the picture toward her room. "When Kelly left today, she wasn't very happy with me."

"She wasn't very happy with me today either," Brenda said, following Donna down the hall to her bedroom.

"She's never very happy with anyone," Donna said, shaking her head.

"Donna!" Brenda exclaimed, looking at Donnas' room. "What's happened in here?"

"It looks worse than it is," Donna assured her. "I have a method to my madness."

"You're going to have to fill me in if I'm going to help you, because this just looks like a mess," Brenda said, laughing.

They worked for a couple of hours, finally getting everything packed and ready to go. "What are you doing with your furniture?" Brenda asked her.

"Dad is going to send someone over to get it. I can't take it with me on the plane, or I'd probably try."

Brenda sat on the bed. "Donna, I am going to miss you so much," she said sadly. "I won't have anyone to talk to."

Donna sat beside her. "That's not true, Bren. You have Andrea and Brandon and David and Steve and you can always call me." She sighed. "And you have Kelly…sometimes."

"Kelly is what I usually need to talk about," Brenda groaned.

"I'm going to miss you too, Bren. I've been so excited that I've forgotten to be nervous. Now that I'm leaving tomorrow, nervous is all I feel."

"Donna, you're going to do great," Brenda told her.

"How did the audition today go?"

"David said I nailed it. I'm not so sure." Brenda shrugged. "I guess we'll see."

"I'm sure David is right, Bren. You're an amazing actress."

"Won't it be weird if we both follow our dreams and they come true?"

"I won't be weird, it will be amazing. And it's going to happen."

Donna yawned and Brenda got up. "I'll leave you to get some rest. What time does your plane leave tomorrow? I'll come to the airport and see you off."

"It leaves at seven so I'll be there around five. Yuck," she said laughing.

"Yuck," Brenda agreed. "I'll come early and we can eat breakfast there. Does that sound okay?"

Donna stood up and hugged her. "It sounds great, Bren."

Brenda left the apartment, sad that Donna was going to be gone for so long.


	7. Chapter 7

Pulling up at the Peach Pit, Brenda nervously got out of her car. She really didn't want to run into Dylan. She'd phoned the Pit from Donnas' apartment, so David knew to be waiting for her.

"Bren." She looked over and saw David walking to her, a smile on his face.

"David," she said, relieved. When he reached her he leaned down for a kiss and she was happy to oblige. "I didn't know if I was going to have to go in or not," she murmured.

David took her hand. "Come on, I have something to show you."

They walked around to the back of the Pit and David stopped at the door of an old drug store building. Taking a key out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and they went in.

"David…" Brenda said, looking around the large empty building. "Why are we in the old pharmacy?" The pharmacy counter was bare and the shelves had all been taken out. Brenda had never realized how large the place actually was.

David walked her to the middle of the room, then twirled her around. Smiling, he pulled her close and they began to slow dance though they had no music. "I'm going to buy this place." Brenda just looked up at him. David laughed. "Don't get all excited, Bren."

"Why are you going to buy it?"

"It's not just me. Steve and Nat are going to be my partners."

Brenda still didn't understand. "Partners in what?"

He moved back, motioning toward the large open space. "What you are looking at, my dear, is soon to be the hottest new night spot in Beverly Hills. The Peach Pit After Dark, in fact."

Brenda stopped dancing. "You guys are going to start a night club?"

David stopped dancing too. "Do you think it's crazy?"

Brenda smiled at him and pulled him closer. "No, I think it's a great idea. Steve can invite half of his friends from the KEG house and this place will be packed."

David rubbed her back, looking at the building. "That's what we're hoping for." He took her hand and walked her to the counter. "The Peach Pit isn't doing so well," he told her.

"Brandon was telling me that. He said that Nat's going crazy trying to think of ways to keep it in business."

David nodded. When they reached the counter he lifted Brenda up on it, then stood between her legs. "Nat said that Dylan hasn't been around much lately. I don't think he even realizes how much trouble the place is in."

Brenda chewed on her bottom lip. "That doesn't sound like Dylan."

"I don't think he's doing very well. Nat thinks he's drinking again." David looked at her. "I didn't say anything about the other night."

"So is Dylan going to be involved in this deal since he owns part of the Peach Pit?"

"I don't know all of the details; Steve and Nat are working them out." He smiled at her. "Guess who the DJ is going to be?" He moved back and twirled around, pointing to himself.

Brenda laughed and pulled him back toward her. With her on the counter, they were almost the same height. "David, that's wonderful!"

"Yeah, well, if I'm part owner, the least they can do is give me a job."

Brenda held his face in her hands. "I'm so excited for you. It seems like everyone is following their dreams."

"You were my dream all day today," he told her huskily, leaning close to her and kissing her.

"I was, huh?" she said, smiling at him.

David put his hands under her shirt, rubbing them up and down her back. Brenda shivered but she wasn't cold. "You were," he said, nodding. "But you weren't wearing so many clothes."

"Mmm," she murmured, kissing him again. "I wonder what we could do about that?"

David looked at her. "Well, I was thinking that we could take some of them off. You know, compare my dream to the real thing."

"Oh, is that right?" she teased.

"It's all in the name of science, Bren. Really." He kissed her again, his thumbs moving to caress the underside of her breasts.

"I don't want to be a rocket scientist, David," she whispered against his mouth, pulling her shirt off. "I want to be the rocket." She leaned back and he took his time unsnapping her bra, lowering it slowly and trailing kisses down her neck until he reached her breasts.

"This is much better than my dream," he told her, slowly circling her nipple with his tongue. She tossed her head back, staring at the ceiling while he moved to the other breast.

David watched her as his tongue moved slowly around the tight bud, smiling at her gasp when his teeth scraped it. She rose up and pulled his shirt off, splaying her hands across his chest. Not wasting any time, she moved her hands lower and began unbuttoning his pants. When he was free, she stroked him with both hands, watching his eyes close and jaw clench. She pulled a condom out of his back pocket and rolled it on him, then leaned back again and waited, smiling.

David quickly pulled her shorts down and off, sliding her off of the counter and onto him. She was wet and ready and he slid into her, groaning when she clenched around him. Pushing her back against the counter, he pushed all the way inside of her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Brenda let out a soft moan and David began to move slowly.

"Now, David," Brenda cried, clenching his shoulders with both hands. "Faster."

David didn't need to be told twice. He pushed into her faster and deeper. Brenda's breathing became more labored and she felt like she couldn't get close enough to him. Sweat trickled down her throat and David licked it off.

Brenda felt the heat rise inside of her until it burst in a wave. She screamed and David covered her mouth with his. She held him as continued to move inside of her, her body still on fire.

David couldn't get enough of her. Her skin was electric. The way her body tightened around him was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He caught her chin in hand and looked into her eyes as he came. "Brenda," he groaned, leaning to kiss her.

Breathing hard, David leaned closer to her until their foreheads were touching. "Like I said," he murmured, "you've been my dream all day today."

Brenda stretched and laughed lightly. "You'll be my dream tonight."

"I wish you could stay with me tonight."

"I'm sure your roommate would love that."

"Maybe I could convince him to leave."

"Yeah, probably not," Brenda said, laughing.

David smiled and ducked his head. "Yeah, probably not."

"And you can't come back to my place," she said sighing. "It's probably for the best. I'm going to the airport in the morning to see Donna off anyway. _Early_."

David pulled her shirt over her head. "How early?"

"Early, early. Around 6."

David whistled. "That is early." He ran his hands up her arms, his thumbs caressing the insides of them and making her shiver.

"David," she whispered, kissing him again. The kiss quickly deepened. She pulled back, looking into his eyes.

"I want you again," he said, kissing her. "I can't get enough of you."

Brenda nodded, pushing her hair behind her ears and kissing him. David eased her pants on her and she lifted her hips to help him, never taking her lips off of him. "You taste good," he said, smiling at her.

She ran her hands over his chest. "You feel good."

David caught her hands in his and kissed them. "I better get dressed or you're never going to leave."

Walking back through the empty store, Brenda stopped in the middle pulled his hand. "One more dance?"

"I can do that," David said, pulling her closer. They danced in slow circles, Brenda laying her head against David's chest. She was so confused about everything going on in her life, but David was solid. She really felt like she could trust him.

"We're having call backs tomorrow," Brenda told him.

David looked at her. "Brenda, you were amazing," he told her. "You'll get a call back."

"I hope you're right," she said softly. "I'm just so nervous. I want it so much, you know?"

"I do know, Bren. That's how I feel about my music."

Brenda smiled at him. "Ah, but now you have a full time gig."

David looked around the room, picturing in his mind what it was going to look like. "It's going to be great."

"I believe you," she said. And she did. They walked out of the building and David shut off the lights and locked up. "Isn't this your car?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I drove it here. Hop in and I'll drive you to yours."

Brenda laughed. "It's just right around the building, David. I think I can walk."

David looked toward the building and then back at her. "Until we get more lights, I'd feel safer if you let me drive you or walk you back."

She kissed his cheek. "Okay, Silver, you've talked me into it."

When David pulled up to her car he leaned over to kiss her. "Thanks for meeting me tonight," he said, looking at her, their faces close together.

"Thanks for asking me to," she told him.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You will," she said. "Call backs will be posted by 9, so I'm going to head over there around 8:30 or so."

"Early," David said, smiling.

"Early," Brenda agreed.

"I'll meet you there," he told her.

"Oh, David, you don't have to do that. I know your first class isn't until 10."

David winked at her. "I like to be around when you get excited."

Laughing, Brenda hit him lightly on the arm. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then."

David kissed her again, his lips lingering on hers. "Tomorrow," he said.

Brenda got out and waved to him, pulling her keys out of her pocket. "Brenda," she heard someone call behind her. Still smiling, she turned to find Dylan leaning against the Peach Pit wall.

"Dylan," she said, somewhat nervously. Every time she saw Dylan her heart leapt into her throat. She walked closer to him. "How are you?" she asked, searching his face. When David had been telling her that Dylan wasn't doing well, she'd felt a small stab of guilt. Though Dylan was no longer any of her business, she still loved him.

Dylan shrugged. "I'm okay," he said. She knew he was lying. "How about you, Bren?"

His voice was as intimate as a touch. "I'm good," she told him. "A little nervous about my audition today, but good." She smiled at him. "You know how I get about acting."

"I know how you get about everything," he said huskily. He pushed away from the wall and walked towards her. "Look, Bren, about the other night," he said, pushing his hand through his hair, "I can't tell you how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt you."

"Are you still drinking?" she asked him bluntly.

Dylan blew out a breath and looked toward the front of the Peach Pit. "No," he told her. "But it's hard."

Brenda took his hand. "You're stronger than you think you are, Dylan," she said softly, looking into his eyes.

Shaking his head, he said, "I'm not as strong as you think I am, Bren. Not by a long shot."

Brenda looked down, then back up at him. "I still love you," she told him, tears in her eyes.

Dylan nodded and took a painful breath. "I still love you."

A single tear fell from the corner of her eye. "I have to get on with my life," she told him, wiping it away. "I'm so sorry."

Dylan put both of his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "I understand, Brenda," he told her softly. "But you have to forgive me if I can't let you go."

"Dylan," she said, reaching for him.

He stepped back. "It's okay," he told her.

"I still want to be friends," she said. "Can we do that?"

Dylan's smile was wobbly. "Sure we can," he said with more conviction than he felt. He nodded his head toward her car. "I'll watch you get in," he told her.

Brenda watched him for a moment, her heart breaking more than it already had. She walked to her car and got in, driving off and waving at him. When she pulled on to the main road she began sobbing. Pulling over a couple of blocks away, she put her face in her hands and cried.


	8. Chapter 8

Brenda finally made it home and sat in the driveway for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. She really cared for David and when she was with him he was all she thought about. But Dylan was always in the back of her mind…and in the back of her heart. She'd cried so hard she'd made herself miserable, with a tear induced headache that throbbed. When she saw her mother walk out of the house she groaned. She didn't think she could handle the Spanish Inquisition tonight. She sighed and got out of the car.

"Brenda," Cindy said quietly but urgently, looking back toward the house.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Oh Brenda, it's terrible," Cindy said, anguish in her voice. "You remember the Malone's right?"

"Of course I do. Valerie was my best friend for years." Worry shot through her. "Did something happen to Val?"

Cindy put her face in her hands, crying. "Her father killed himself," she told Brenda.

Shocked, Brenda hugged her mother. Valerie's parents and Brenda's parents had been best friends for years. That something like this could have happened was horrible. "Poor Val," Brenda said softly.

Cindy straightened. "She's here, Brenda."

Brenda blinked. "Valerie is here? In Beverly Hills?"

Cindy nodded. "Abby was checked into a…place. She's not handling this very well. Her sister took the younger kids, but they simply didn't have room for Valerie. Bless her heart, she had no where to go. Jim told her she could stay with us."

Brenda's heart was hurting for her friend and she forgot about her own problems for a moment. "I wanted to tell you before you came in. Valerie and Brandon are in your room now, setting up the extra bed. Oh Brenda, I hope it's okay."

Brenda rubbed her mother's arms. "It's fine mom." She kissed Cindy on the cheek. "I love you."

Cindy smiled through her tears. "I love you too, honey."

"How's dad taking this?"

Cindy sighed. "He's devastated. He and Victor were like brothers. They talked just last week and Jim didn't notice anything wrong. He's blaming himself, and I've told him how ridiculous that is." Cindy shrugged. "It's like talking to a wall."

Brenda agreed but didn't say so. They walked back to the house and Brenda found Jim standing at the foot of the stairs, staring into the living room. "Daddy," she said, hugging him. As if pulled from a trance, Jim hugged her back.

"Brenda," he sighed, holding her.

She looked up at him. "There was nothing you could do," she told him firmly.

Jim nodded, but she could see the pain in his eyes. "You better go up and make sure Valerie is getting settled in okay."

Brenda walked toward the stairs, but Jim stopped her with a hand on her arm. "I love you Brenda."

She smiled. "I love you too, Dad."

Nervous, Brenda walked to her room and stopped in the hall when she heard Brandon's voice. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling, Val, but you can always talk to me, any time."

"Thanks, Brandon," a familiar voice said tiredly.

Brenda walked into the room. "Valerie," she said softly, walking towards her old friend.

The other woman jumped up from the bed and rushed toward her, pulling her into a hug. Brenda felt her sobs and simply held her, looking at Brandon over her shoulder. She saw pain in his eyes and realized it must be reflected in her own. Valerie pulled back, smiling at Brenda through her tears. "Brenda," she said. "I've missed you so much."

"I'm so sorry about your dad," Brenda said, holding her friends hands.

Fresh tears flowed down Valerie's face. "Me too," she whispered.

Brenda noticed that Valerie had cut her long hair into a short bob. She was still beautiful, tears and all. Though the circumstances were tragic, Brenda felt like Valerie coming to Beverly Hills was fate. "Good night, Brandon," she told her brother, giving him a small smile.

Brandon nodded. "Good night, Bren. 'Night, Val. Yell if you need anything."

Brenda watched him leave the room, then walked with Valerie toward the beds. "You can sleep in my bed and I'll take the pull out," she told her friend.

"Don't be silly, Bren. I'm not going to take your bed." Valerie sat on the pull out and wiped her face. "I can't stop crying," she said, annoyed. "I cry until I get sick and then I cry some more."

Brenda knew exactly what that was like, having just done it herself. "I can get you some Tylenol," she offered.

"Cindy gave me some a few minutes ago," Val told her. "It was so good seeing your parents again. It reminded me that things haven't always been so terrible."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Brenda asked her quietly.

Valerie thought about it a moment. "I don't think so, Bren. Not right now. Is that okay?"

"That's fine, Val. We can talk whenever you want."

"I won't be in your way very long," Val promised. "I'm going to get a job and find a place of my own."

"You're staying in Beverly Hills?" Brenda asked her, shocked.

Valerie nodded, her breath catching. "I can't talk about it right now, Brenda, but I can't go back there."

Brenda leaned over and hugged her. "Valerie, you can stay here for as long as you need. You're like my sister."

"Thanks Brenda, you don't know how much that means to me," Valerie said, crying again. She stood up. "I'm going to take a quick shower and then I'm going to go to bed. Can we talk more tomorrow?"

"Of course!" Brenda told her. "I'll be gone early, but I'll be here all afternoon. We can catch up then, okay?"

Valerie nodded and hugged Brenda again, then went into the bathroom and started the shower. Brenda got her pajamas out and went into her parent's bathroom for a shower. After she was done she went down to the kitchen where her parents were sitting. "She's really upset," Brenda told them, "but that's to be expected, I guess. I'm going to skip my last class tomorrow and come home to spend some time with her."

Cindy smiled at her. "Thank you Brenda."

Brenda kissed both of her parents. "Good night," she told them, walking back up the stairs. When she got back to her room, Valerie was already asleep. Making as little noise as possible, Brenda laid down to get some sleep herself.


	9. Chapter 9

Brenda walked down the stairs and moved toward the kitchen for a quick drink of orange juice before leaving to meet Donna. "Brandon," she said, surprised to find her brother sitting at the kitchen table.

"Morning Bren," he said, kissing her cheek when she leaned down to hug him.

"What are you doing up so early?" she asked him as she poured her juice, then sat down.

Brandon shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Kept thinking about Valerie and her parents."

"Me too," Brenda admitted. "It's so horrible. I told her that she can stay with us for as long as she needs to. I've really missed her."

"I've been thinking about that, too. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Brenda looked at her watch. "I have a few minutes," she told him. "What's up?"

"I ran into Kelly on campus yesterday." Brenda groaned and Brandon smiled at her. "We didn't talk about you or Dylan."

"Good," Brenda said.

"She told me that since Donna and David have both moved out of the beach apartment, she's moving into the sorority house. She said she always wanted to, anyway."

"Okay," Brenda said slowly, drawing the word out. "So?"

"So, that means that the beach apartment is going to be empty."

Brenda realized what he was leading up to. "You think we should rent it?"

"What do you think, Bren? There are now three of us, and there are three bedrooms at the apartment. We're in college now…shouldn't we move out on our own?"

Brenda nodded. "I've been thinking about that too," she admitted. "But isn't it expensive?"

"It is. But with my job at the Peach Pit, I can pay the rent. All you and Val would have to do is pay the utilities." He looked at her. "You would have to get a job, though. And with school and the play-"

Brenda cut him off. "I don't even know if I'm going to get the role."

Brandon smiled at her and continued. "And with school and the play, a job might be too much."

Brenda smiled at him and put her hand on his. "You believe in me?"

"I have no doubt that you're going to get the part, Bren. You're amazing."

"Thanks, Brandon," she said softly. "That means a lot to me." She sat for a moment, thinking about it. "I may be able to get a job at this new place I know about."

"Yeah, where's that?"

Brenda leaned closer to him. "Has Nat said anything to you about the Peach Pit After Dark?"

Surprised, Brandon stared at her. "How do you know about that?" He laughed and held up his hand. "Never mind. Silver."

"So you do know about it?"

Brandon sighed. "I think I may buy into it. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Like I told David last night, I really do. But if you're putting your money in that, how could you afford the apartment?"

"I'm going to help out a little," Jim said from the doorway. He walked into the room and sat down. "I don't want you kids to move, but Brandon makes a valid point. Maybe it's time for you to go on to the next chapter of your life."

"Have you talked to mom about this?" Brenda asked him.

"Of course I have. I don't make decisions without talking to your mother, Brenda, you know that." He looked at his kids. "We'll help you in the beginning, but then the apartment is going to be your responsibility. Do you think you can handle that?"

Brenda and Brandon smiled at each other. "I think we can, don't you Bren?"

"Oh, absolutely," Brenda agreed. "I can work part time and still do school and the play."

"Brenda, it's a lot of work," Jim warned her. "Maybe you should take some time to think about it."

Brenda shook her head. "We'll need to ask Valerie, but I think it's a great idea." She looked at her watch. "I've got to get to the airport," she said. She kissed the men and put on her jacket.

"Tell Donna that I said good luck and to be careful," Brandon told her. "I'm going to miss her."

"Same from us, Brenda," Jim called.

"I will. Love you guys," she said, leaving. Walking to her car, she thought about all of the major changes going on in her life. David, Dylan, Donna, Valerie, the play, a job, the apartment…it was a lot to take in.

Getting to the airport and parking the car, she searched for Donnas' terminal. Finding her friend standing in line, she called to her. Donna turned around and waved her over. "Brenda!" she said excitedly. "You're here!"

"Of course I'm here," Brenda said, hugging her.

"I've got to get through this line and then we can stop at one of the restaurants here and get something to eat."

"Sounds good to me," Brenda told her. "I need sustenance."

"You hear about call backs today, right?"

"Today is the day," she confirmed, nodding.

They got through the line and found a restaurant. "Airport food," Brenda said, sighing.

Donna laughed. "It's not that bad. I've eaten here several times."

"Have I mentioned how much I'm going to miss you?" Brenda asked her, frowning.

"I'm going to miss you too, Bren."

"There's so much going on…" Brenda started. She looked at Donna. "But what you're doing is so exciting, Donna. You're going to meet so many new people, see so many new things…"

"I know, it's exciting. Part of me can't wait and the other part of me doesn't want to leave."

"So when am I coming for this ball?" Brenda asked her.

"It will be in a month or so. You can bring a date if you want."

"Would Brandon suffice? He would love that."

"Brandon would be great," Donna told her, smiling. "So what's going on?"

Brenda filled Donna in on the apartment and Valerie. "You guys will love the apartment. I can't believe Kelly isn't going to stay there…And Valerie sounds nice. I wish I could have met her," Donna said.

"She'll be here when you get back. I think you'll like her. She's very up front about everything; you never have to wonder about where you stand with Valerie."

"That would be a refreshing change," Donna agreed.

"Did you talk to Kelly this morning?"

Donna shrugged. "She didn't even come out of her room. I honestly don't even know if she was home or not."

Brenda immediately wondered if Kelly had been with Dylan, then mentally berated herself for caring. "I want to be her friend," she told Donna. "It's just hard to do."

Donna nodded. "I feel the same way some times, Bren."

Changing the subject, Brenda asked, "So what about Troy? When will you be seeing him?"

Donna blushed. "He's actually going to be meeting me at the airport."

Brenda laughed. "You love him!" she teased her friend.

Donna laughed too. "I don't love him," she said. "But I do really like him."

"You are going to have way too much fun in Texas," Brenda told her. "You'll never want to come back."

Donna looked out the airport window. "I will always want to come back to here. This is home."

Brenda nodded. "For me too."

The two women finished their breakfast and walked to the terminal. When they reached the security point, Donna turned to Brenda and hugged her tightly. "Thanks for coming Brenda," she said, crying.

Brenda closed her eyes and held her friend. "Don't you forget about me when you're looking into those big blue eyes Troy has."

Donna laughed and pulled away. "Don't be silly, Brenda. You're my best friend. I couldn't forget you."

Brenda smiled at her. "And you're mine." She hugged Donna one last time, then watched her walk through the gate.


	10. Chapter 10

David held her hand as they walked toward the theater bulletin board. Even though everyone seemed certain she'd gotten the part, she was almost sick with nervousness. The role of Maggie the Cat would be huge; especially since Roy Randolph was going to be directing the play. He was a world renowned director, and if she could prove to him she was an actress, there was a chance he could help her live her dream.

A crowd had already gathered and Brenda and David stood toward the back. Brenda kept shifting her feet back and forth, anxiously waiting. David rested his hands on her shoulders and the warmth from them calmed her somewhat. She leaned back against him and he wrapped his arms completely around her. "Breathe," he whispered.

She laughed slightly and nodded. "I'm trying."

Finally, a man walked toward the board with the call back list. Brenda patiently waited, hearing squeals of delight and cries of dismay. They moved steadily closer and when it was her turn to look at the list, David had to actually push her closer.

Brenda looked at the list and found only two names under Maggie the Cat. When she saw her name, she jumped with excitement, turning around to hug David. David hugged her back, but she noticed that he had stiffened. "What?" she said, noticing that his eyes remained fixed on the sheet. Turning around, she looked at the list again.

She felt as if ice water ran through her veins. Shocked, Brenda gasped. "Kelly?" Kelly Taylor was the other name on the list of call backs for Maggie the Cat. She looked at David, whose jaw was clenched. "Kelly tried out for Maggie?" she whispered.

David looked down at her, squeezing her arms. "It looks like she did," he said. Seeing the hurt on Brenda's face made David want to punch someone.

"Going out for coffee with Randolph after her audition probably helped in getting a call back," the man who brought the list out told them.

Brenda looked at him. "What did you say?"

"My name is Bradley," he told them. "I work in the theater. I was here for all of the auditions…" he looked at the list. "I saw yours," he told Brenda. "You were amazing."

Brenda smiled weakly. "Thank you."

Bradley nodded toward the list. "Kelly Taylor was the last person to audition; everyone else had already left. She did pretty well, honestly. Not as well as you did, but I was surprised."

"Yeah, she's had a lot of experience, pretending to be a friend," David told him.

Bradley nodded. "After she finished, she mentioned that she new a great place to get late night coffee. Asked Randolph if he would be interested in trying it out. I don't know what happened after that, but they left together." He shrugged. "Show business." He shrugged again and walked off.

Brenda put her head against David's chest and took a couple of deep breaths. "It's okay. It's fine. Everything is going to be fine."

"Brenda, it _is _okay," David told her, tipping her chin up to look at him. "You heard the guy. You were the better actress. Randolph will see that." Brenda nodded. "What time is your call back?"

Brenda looked back at the paper. "Tomorrow at 2."

"We'll work on your lines tonight and you'll get a good nights sleep and you'll show Randolph exactly why you are Maggie the Cat."

Brenda nodded and blew out a breath. "Thank you, David," she said softly, kissing him. She looked at her watch. "I have to get to class, but I'll call you after I've spent some time with Valerie, okay?"

David nodded and kissed her, watching her walk off. He stood at the board, staring at Kelly's name for a few minutes.

"David," Brandon said from behind him. "Has Brenda already left?"

David turned around to look at him. "Yeah, a few minutes ago. She had to get to class."

"So did she get the call back?"

"She did," David said, turning to look at the sheet again. "And so did Kelly."

"What?" Brandon asked from behind him, walking up to stand beside David and look at the sheet. His hands clenched. "Kelly tried out for Maggie, too?"

"She didn't only try out," David told the other man. "She asked Randolph out for coffee afterward."

Brandon sighed and looked at David. "What did Brenda say?"

"She freaked out a little, but I think she's going to be okay." He shook his head. "She's so good but she doesn't realize it."

"I know, man. She's always been like that. Brenda seems so confident, but when it comes down to something that's really important to her, she worries."

David nodded. "Hey, Steve told me that you were thinking about putting in with us for the After Dark."

"I have been. I have money saved up, and I think it's a good idea." He leaned against the theater wall. "Dad's looked over the figures and he thinks it's a good idea too."

"Yeah, my dad did too. He's not an accountant, but he knows about running a business. He thinks we could do it."

"We may have to give Brenda a job," Brandon told the other man.

David smiled. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"I think we're going to take over the beach apartment. Valerie, too. I'll pay the rent, but they'll have to pay for everything else."

David's smile grew wider. "Sounds like a good move to me," he said.

Brandon cocked his eyebrow at David. "Come on, Silver, that's my sister you're thinking about."

"I didn't say anything," David said innocently.

"I see those wheels turning in your head," Brandon muttered good naturedly. "I know what you're thinking."

David laughed. He had been thinking about how great it would be for Brenda to have her own place. "So this Valerie," he said, changing the subject. "Brenda told me they've been best friends for years."

"Since we were little kids," Brandon said. "Her family and our family have always been close."

"How's she doing?"

Brandon looked around the campus. "I don't know man. She cried all night last night. I can't imagine what she's going through." Brandon looked back at David. "Donna left today, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You okay with that?" Brandon asked, eyeing his friend.

David looked at Brandon. "Is this a roundabout way of asking me if my intentions are honorable?"

Brandon laughed. "I guess so."

"Look man, I loved Donna. I probably still do." He ran a hand through his hair. "It just wasn't working between us. She knew it, I knew it. I acted like a jerk and I hurt her. I never meant to." He looked down for a moment, then back up at Brandon. "I really care about Brenda, Brandon. I'm not really sure what we're doing. I don't think she is either. But we care about each other and we have fun together. That's all I can tell you."

Brandon watched David's face, thinking. "Dylan really hurt her," he said finally. "And as much as I love Dylan, I don't know if I can forgive him for that." David nodded. "We've been friends for a long time, Silver. I don't ever want to be in that position with you."

David put his hand on Brandon's shoulder and squeezed. Dropping it, he looked out at the campus. "I don't know if I should talk to Kelly or not," he admitted. "She's my sister, but I'm so angry with her I'm afraid I'd say the wrong thing."

"I don't know if any of us need to talk to her about it." David looked at him. "Think about it, David. She's obviously after attention, right?"

David grimaced. "I'm not sure if that's all it is. I think she sees everything as some sort of competition with Brenda. Brenda even said as much the other day. She has to know it's not okay."

Brandon thought about it. "I'll talk to Bren about it later. I don't think it's a good idea for her to talk to Kelly. When Brenda gets angry…" Brandon shook his head. "It just wouldn't be a good thing."

David nodded in agreement, then sighed. "I'll be over later to help Brenda run her lines. Maybe we can all talk and figure something out."

"Sounds good. We meeting at the Pit tonight? Nat has decided it's time to talk to Dylan about the expansion."

"I don't think I should be around Dylan," David said, anger causing color to ride up his cheeks. "Not after what he did to Brenda."

Brandon looked at David oddly. "You weren't even seeing Brenda when all of that happened."

"No, man, I'm talking about the bruises."

Brandon went completely still. "What bruises?" he asked softly.

David realized his mistake and ran his hand through his hair. "Ah, hell," he muttered. Brenda was going to kill him.

"What. Bruises," Brandon demanded.

"The other night Dylan came into your house while Brenda and I were together."

"I know that," Brandon said, deceptively calm.

"Brenda asked me to leave for a few minutes and I did. If I had realized he'd been drinking I would have never left."

"Dylan was drinking?"

"Yeah," David said, nodding. "Bren said he pushed her against the wall, grabbed her. There were a couple of large bruises on her chest."

Brandon heard a faint ringing in his ears. "He put his hands on Brenda while he was drinking," Brandon said. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," David said again. "Brenda said it wasn't a big deal." He looked down, then back at Brandon. "It was to me."

"I'll see you later, David," Brandon said stiffly, walking away. David called after him, but Brandon kept walking. Rage unlike anything he'd ever known coursed through his body and his vision was hazy. He was going to find Dylan McKay and he was going to kill him.


	11. Chapter 11

Steve wasn't having a good day. He'd woken up hung over and covered in permanent marker, then missed his first two classes because he couldn't get it all washed off. By the time lunch rolled around, he was ready to go back to bed and start the day over again.

"Steve," he heard behind him. He closed his eyes and grimaced. Not David Silver. Not today. Please, merciful Jesus, let him become invisible or something. "Steve!" he heard again. "Crap," he mumbled, turning around.

"Hey man, I think we have a problem," David told him, out of breath.

"Yeah? And what's that?" Steve knew he sounded grumpy. He didn't care.

"I think Brandon is going to kill Dylan."

Steve stared at his friend for a moment, then shrugged. "It's about time," he said. He and Dylan were friends…sometimes. He couldn't understand how Brandon remained friends with the guy after what he'd done to Brenda, though. If Brenda had been his sister, he'd have already knocked Dylan out. Hell, he'd thought about knocking him out for Brenda anyway, and he and Brenda were just friends.

"No, Steve, this is serious," David said, frustrated. He was getting tired of no one taking him seriously.

Steve sighed. "What's going on?"

"It's kind of a long story," David hedged. "I was thinking I could tell you on the way?"

Steve cocked his eyebrow at David. "On the way where?"

"To find Brandon before he kills Dylan. Or to get him out of jail."

Convinced David was being overly dramatic, Steve nonetheless walked with the other man. "I didn't want to go to my next class anyway." David walked off, fast, and Steve had to hurry to keep up. "Okay, Silver, what's going on?"

"So Bren and I are, uh, together now," David started.

Steve put his arm on David's. "Wait, what? You and Brenda? _David Silver_ and Brenda Walsh?" he smiled and hit David in the arm. "Way to go Silver."

David rolled his eyes and started walking again. "Dylan came into the Walsh house the other night while we were together," he continued.

Steve noticed the other man's slight stumble over the word "together." "No way, man," he said, still smiling. "This is too good. Dylan walked in on you and Brenda, together together? Like…together?"

David sent him a warning look. "Don't mess with me Steve," he said seriously.

Steve tried to wipe the smile off of his face but a small smirk remained. "Okay, so? Did McKay freak out? I bet he freaked out, didn't he?" In a morbid way, Steve was enjoying this.

"He'd been drinking but I didn't realize that."

Steve quit smiling. He really did hate that Dylan had started drinking again. As much as Dylan annoyed him, Steve did care about the guy. It was okay to delight in Dylan's misery so long as it was only emotional. When Dylan drank, though, even Steve felt bad. "He's drinking again?"

"Yeah," David said, reaching his car and unlocking the doors. They got in. "Brenda asked me to leave for a few minutes and I did." He hit the steering wheel, thinking about it. "I shouldn't have. Even if he hadn't been drinking, I shouldn't have left." He backed the car out. "Where do you think Brandon would go to find Dylan right now?" he asked Steve.

"Let's try Dylan's house first, then the Peach Pit," Steve said, thinking.

David nodded and started to drive. "When I left, Dylan hurt Brenda. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but she had big bruises on her chest." David's throat tightened in anger, remembering.

"Dylan hurt Brenda?" Steve whispered incredulously. "He loves Brenda. I mean, he's with Kelly, but he'll always love Brenda."

"He's not with Kelly anymore," David told him.

Steve couldn't believe Dylan would put his hands on Brenda. What he'd thought to be a humorous situation was quickly turning into something else altogether. David wasn't being overly dramatic at all. "Who told Brandon?"

David sighed. "I did. I didn't mean to, it just slipped out," he said miserably. He looked over at Steve when they got to a light. "You should have seen Brandon's eyes, Steve. We really need to find him before he does something crazy."

"What we need is Zuckerman," Steve told David.

"Andrea?" David said, confused. "Why?"

"Silver, is Brandon going to listen to you? Is he going to listen to me?" He looked at David. "No. But who _will _he listen to?"

"Andrea," David said, understanding. "I don't know where she is though."

"Me either," Steve said, pulling out his cell phone and dialing. "Hey, Tammy," he said, winking at David, "is there any way you can give me the number to Andrea Zuckerman's dorm room?" He waited. "I know it's against the rules," he said soothingly, "but she's a good friend of mine and I have a bit of an emergency." He listened again. "Of course I remember that night," he said lowly. He laughed, listening. "Okay, thanks Tammy." He listened some more. "Well, come over to the KEG house anytime, darlin'. I'll take care of you." He closed the phone and dialed Andrea's dorm room. Getting her machine, he said, "Hey Andrea, this is Steve. Listen, Brandon may be in trouble and I could really use your help. Give me a call as soon as you get this message." Steve left his number and hung up.

David shook his head. "You're something, you know that?"

"Hey, I make awesome look good," Steve said, smiling cockily. Thinking about the situation, his smile once again faded. "I still can't believe Dylan would hurt Brenda. You know he loves her, right?"

David's lips thinned but he nodded. "She still loves him, too," he said softly.

Steve watched him. "So what are you two doing together?"

"I don't know, man. I really like her. I like being with her. And _being _with her…" he broke off, staring out the windshield. "It's amazing."

Steve shook his head. "I can't believe Brandon hasn't already killed _you_."

"He warned me," David said, shrugging. "I'd do the same if it were my sister."

"Speaking of your sister," Steve said, "how is Kelly taking all of this?" He hadn't talked to Kelly for about a week; he'd wondered where she was. Now he knew she was probably somewhere licking her wounds.

David's hands tightened on the wheel. "Not too well," he said. "She said that I'm betraying her," he said, confused. "I don't understand why she would think that."

"Silver, you have to understand how the female mind works," Steve told him, leaning back in his seat. "It's war, 24/7. If you're with the enemy, you become the enemy."

"Bren's not like that," David told him. "Neither is Donna."

"Well, Kelly is. So are most women. Brenda and Donna are the exception rather than the rule." Steve looked at him. "Kelly sees Brenda as the enemy. Because you're with her, you are now the enemy too."

"It seems so dumb," David said, frustrated.

"It is dumb," Steve agreed.

"Kelly tried out for Maggie the Cat," David told him.

"Brenda's Maggie?" Steve asked, shocked. Even he had run lines with Brenda; he had never known anyone to want something more.

"That's the Maggie," David confirmed. "Brenda is really upset about it."

"But she didn't get it," Steve said. Seeing David's face, he said, "Wait…Kelly got the part?"

"She got a call back."

Steve couldn't believe it. "I've run lines with Brenda for that part. She _is _Maggie."

David nodded. "I agree. But Kelly was the last person to try out, then invited Randolph out to coffee."

Steve whistled. "Hell hath no fury," he murmured.

"It's not even Brenda's fault," David said angrily. "How can she help it if Dylan broke up with Kelly? I don't know why Kelly dated him in the first place. She's always said that Dylan and Brenda were made for each other." David made a face when he realized the same could be said for him.

"War," Steve reminded him. "It's a war." His phone rang. "Hello?" He looked at David and mouthed "Andrea."

"We're almost there," David told him, pointing at the street sign.

"Hey, Andrea, I hate to bother you, I know you have class…Yeah, is there any way you could blow off the rest of your classes and come to Dylan's house?...It's kind of a long story, but I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important. Wait, we're pulling up to Dylan's now…Yeah, Brandon's car is here. Can you get here pretty fast? Okay. Thanks Andrea." He hung up and looked at David. "I figured we'd fill her in when she got here." He looked at Brandon's car. "If we're not in the hospital or jail, that is," he muttered.

David pulled in behind the other car. "He's not in the car."

They unbuckled their seat belts and got out of David's car. Walking up to Dylan's house, they saw Brandon sitting on the front step. "Just go away," he said calmly.

Steve wasn't fooled. He noticed the slight tremor in Brandon's hands, which were clasped tightly in front of him. "Hey, bro," he said casually, sitting down beside Brandon.

"Go away," Brandon said again, more forcefully this time. He didn't look at either man. "Get out of here."

"Let's just go, Brandon," David said. "We've got that meeting at the Pit later. We can talk to Dylan then."

Brandon stared at David and the other man looked away. "I don't want to talk to Dylan," he said softly.

Steve looked out at the road. "You plan on kicking his ass, huh?"

Brandon didn't move. Steve sighed. "Come on, Brandon. This isn't the way to handle it." Brandon still didn't move. Steve and David sat with him, both silently praying Andrea got there soon.

"He put his hands on my sister," Brandon eventually said through clenched teeth.

Steve nodded. "I would want to kill him too," he said simply. "But you would be in front of me, telling me all of the reasons I was acting like an idiot."

"He hurt Brenda, Steve," Brandon said, looking at his friend.

"He's hurt her a lot worse than this," David said. Both men turned to look at him. "Don't look at me like that; you both know it's true. She's cried for a month because of what he and Kelly did to her."

"Not helping, Silver," Steve said, glaring at the other man. David shrugged and looked away.

Finally, Andrea pulled up. Brandon knew exactly why she had been called and gave Steve a disgusted look. Steve smiled and shrugged. "It was time to pull out the big guns," he told his friend.

As soon as Andrea got out of her car, Dylan showed up on his motorcycle. Brandon saw red, blowing past David, Steve and Andrea. Dylan got off of the motorcycle and watched Brandon rush toward him. He didn't duck as Brandon's fist hit his mouth, going down after one shot. Brandon hit Dylan until David and Steve pulled him off, and Andrea- who still had no clue what was going on- ran towards Dylan to see if he was okay.

Steve and David together couldn't hold Brandon, who got away from them and attacked Dylan again. Brandon saw that Dylan was unconscious, distantly heard Andrea and the guys screaming, but couldn't stop. Dylan had put his hands on Brenda…he had hurt Brandon's sister. When Steve got Brandon's arms, Brandon kicked Dylan. He didn't realize he was crying, couldn't hear the anguished noises coming out of his own mouth. Suddenly Andrea was in front of him, putting her hands on his face. Giving in, Brandon put his face on her shoulder and cried.


	12. Chapter 12

Andrea wasn't sure what she was supposed to be doing. David and Steve had gotten Dylan up and moved into his house, but Andrea had sat on the lawn with Brandon. She still didn't understand what was going on. Brandon wasn't talking and Steve and David hadn't told her before going inside.

She had been frightened, seeing Brandon attack Dylan. The rage and pain on his face was enough to make her believe that Dylan had done something terrible, which left her worried about Brenda. No one had mentioned Brenda, though, and Andrea was afraid to say anything, not wanting to set Brandon off again. So she sat, her arm around him, watching cars go by.

Steve came outside and sat beside them, sighing. "Well, that didn't go like I'd hoped it would."

Andrea and Brandon looked at him. Andrea cleared her throat, but it was Brandon that spoke first. "How is he?"

Steve looked back toward the house, then at Brandon. "I think he'll be okay. May have a cracked rib." He shrugged. "He's conscious now. And David was on the phone with Brenda." Steve winced. "I could hear her screaming all the way across the room."

Andrea was relieved to know that Brenda was okay. "Is she coming?" Brandon asked, resigned.

"Of course she is," Steve told him. He looked at Andrea. "Thanks, Zuck, for coming."

Andrea nodded. "I'm still not sure what happened."

"No one is," Steve muttered.

"You left David with Dylan?" Brandon asked.

"Yeah. I figured they had some things to talk about."

Brandon nodded.

"What do those two have to talk about?" Andrea asked, curious.

Steve smiled. "You see, Andrea, young Mr. Silver is now dating the esteemed Brenda Walsh."

Andrea's mouth fell open. "What?"

Brandon stared out at the road. "I think that's what we all said."

Andrea looked at Brandon. "What does any of that have to do with you?" Brandon told her about Dylan's visit to the Walsh house. "Oh no," Andrea said, dismayed. "He's drinking again?" Steve and Brandon both nodded, grimacing. "I still can't believe he'd hurt Brenda. He loves her, even if he's with Kelly."

"They're not together anymore," Steve told her.

Brandon cocked his eyebrow at Steve. "Now's your time to make another move, man," he told his friend.

Steve snorted. "Not me, bro. I'm done." Steve watched Andrea from the corner of his eye.

Andrea made a noise that may have been a laugh. "We'll see."

In the house, David sat in the chair, watching Dylan. "Stop staring at me, Silver," Dylan told him, wincing as he sat up.

"I can't believe you would put your hands on Brenda.'

Dylan stared up at the ceiling. "There is nothing you could say to me that I haven't already said to myself," he told David quietly.

"You love her, man. How could you hurt her?"

Dylan looked over at him. "I didn't mean to hurt her. That I did keeps me up at night. I can't even look in the mirror." He rolled his head towards the door. "Just go, David. I'm going to be okay."

David looked at Dylan for a while. He admitted to himself that the man had looked terrible even before Brandon hit him. "Dylan, you have to take care of yourself," David told him.

"Why?" Dylan asked, not looking at him.

David heard screaming outside and jumped up, rushing to the door. Dylan groaned. Brenda was here.

David ran outside to find Brandon holding Brenda's hands, a large red welt on his cheek. Tears streamed down Brenda's face and she was screaming at Brandon. A woman that had to be Valerie stood behind her, wringing her hands. "Brenda," David said, moving toward her.

Brenda glared at David. "Don't touch me," she said to him, furious. "Don't you dare touch me, David." She jerked her hands from Brandon's and walked towards Dylan's door, not looking back.

David stared at the sky. "That went exactly like I imagined it was going to."

"Silver, man," Brandon started.

"It's okay, Brandon," David said, cutting him off. "It happened the way it was supposed to."

Andrea was watching the other woman. "I'm Andrea," she said, walking over to her and holding out her hand. "I don't think we've met."

"Valerie," the woman said, smiling tentatively and shaking Andrea's hand.

Andrea looked at the three men. "It's not normally like this," she told the other woman.

Valerie smiled slightly and shrugged. "At least it helped me take my mind off of my problems for a while."

Andrea thought about asking what her problems were, but decided against it. The other woman was one of the most beautiful Andrea had ever seen, but there was something broken about her.

"Valerie is our friend from Minnesota," Brandon told Andrea. "She's going to be living with me and Brenda at the beach apartment."

"You guys are moving to the beach apartment? What about Kelly?"

Brandon shrugged. "She's moving into the sorority house now that Donna is gone."

"Where have I been?" Andrea asked to the group at large. "Brenda is dating David Silver, Kelly's moving to the sorority house, you guys and your friend from Minnesota are moving to the beach apartment and you, Brandon, are trying to kill a man that's so close to you he's almost your brother."

"And Kelly got a call back for the Maggie the Cat role," Steve added.

"What?" Andrea and Valerie asked at the same time.

"I wasn't trying to kill him," Brandon said with a sigh, putting his face in his hands. "I don't know what I was thinking."

Valerie moved towards Brandon and put her arms around him, hugging him. Brandon, shocked by the support, hugged her back tightly. Valerie pulled back. "It's all going to work out. That's what you told me, right?"

Brandon smiled a little. "Right."

Steve arched his eyebrow at Andrea, looking at the couple. Andrea shrugged. "So what are we doing now? Waiting for Bren?"

"I guess," David and Brandon said at the same time.

Andrea sat back down and sighed. "Maybe that'll give me enough time to figure out what in the world is going on around here."


	13. Chapter 13

Brenda didn't knock on Dylan's door, just walked in. She'd expected to find him on the couch in the living room, but he wasn't there. "Dylan?" she called softly. When David had called and told her what happened, her heart had stopped beating. All she could think about was Dylan and whether or not he was okay.

She heard movement in his bedroom and walked that way. Stopping in the doorway, she watched him try to put on a clean shirt. A large bruise covered his left side and Brenda gasped. "Dylan," she said, tears running down her face.

"Don't come in here Bren," he told her, turning his back to her. "Just go."

Ignoring his words, Brenda walked into his room and stopped right behind him. "Dylan, look at me," she pleaded softly. He shook his head and she moved to where she was standing in front of him. They looked at each other for a moment; Brenda seeing the fat lip and cuts and bruises, the black eye. All Dylan saw was the beautiful tear streaked face of the only woman he'd ever love.

Brenda lightly touched his cheek and Dylan turned his head away. "I am so sorry, Dylan," she told him. "Can you forgive me?"

Dylan's eyes whipped back to her face. "Brenda, how can you say that? This is my fault."

Brenda shook her head. "You didn't mean to bruise me, Dylan. You've been rougher with me in the past and nothing happened."

"I was trying to hurt you, Bren," he said hoarsely.

Brenda nodded. "But not physically."

Dylan let out an anguished sound. "That's even worse," he told her.

Brenda shrugged. "If I had walked in on you and Kelly," she started, then closed her eyes. "If I had walked in on you and Kelly, I don't think I could take it. I've imagined it for months now, but to actually see it…"

Dylan took her hand. "I was protecting myself, Bren, and I was so proud of myself for getting away before I was hurt I never thought about what it would do to you. Now when I think about you and Silver…I can't take it. It breaks me up inside. And it's worse, knowing that's what I did to you when I chose Kelly."

"We've both messed up so much," she said sadly. "But what Brandon did…"

"Was wrong," Brandon said from the bedroom doorway. He walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Brenda and Dylan looked at him. "You hurt her," Brandon said, looking at Dylan. "You put your hands on her and you hurt her." He shrugged. "That's all I could think about."

"I know, B."

Brandon looked at Brenda. "I wasn't there for you when Dylan chose Kelly. I knew you were hurting. I heard you cry every night. It drove me crazy, but I kept thinking it would work itself out." He looked at Dylan. "You two are meant to be together. I figured you'd eventually realize that and make it happen."

"I did," Dylan said, looking at Brenda. "But it was too late."

"It's never too late," Brandon told them.

"I'm standing right here," Brenda told them. "I don't need you to protect me," she told Brandon, walking toward him. He looked up at her. "But it's good to know you will," she said softly, smiling. "I'm sorry I slapped you."

Brandon took her hand. "I needed it. It woke me up." He stood up. "I'm going back outside now. I just wanted to let you know- to let you both know- that I'm sorry."

Dylan nodded at his friend, watching him leave. He looked at Brenda. "And I'm sorry, Brenda."

Brenda nodded, looking at him. "I am too." She leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips, careful to not hurt him. She looked into his eyes, wanting nothing more at that moment than to just stay with him. She wanted Dylan's arms around her. She wanted to fall asleep in his bed, listening to him sleep. But now she was the one who was scared, and no matter how much she believed him, a part of her was terrified to try again. "I have to go," she told him.

Dylan nodded, never taking his eyes off of her. "I love you, Bren," he said softly.

Brenda stopped at the door and looked at him. He looked so lost it made her heart ache. Nodding, she left the room and walked out of the house and toward her friends.


	14. Chapter 14

Jim and Cindy wanted to check out the beach apartment, and Valerie and Brandon went with them. Brenda opted to stay home, telling her parents that she and David were going to run lines. When they got to her room, Brenda shut the door and pulled David's shirt off, kissing his chest.

David pulled her back, looking at her. "Brenda, you're crying," he told her.

"So?" she asked, leaning up to kiss him.

David kissed her, tasting her tears. He finally pulled back, shaking his head. "We can't do this right now," he told her. Brenda tried to kiss him again. David shook her a little. "Brenda!"

"What, David?" she yelled. "Why can't we do this right now? This is what I need!"

David pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly. "No," he said into her hair, "it's not."

Brenda cried for a moment, hugging him back. "I'm so tired," she told him wearily. "Of everything."

"Why don't you lie down for a little while?" he said, looking into her eyes and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'll lay with you and I'll be here if you need anything."

Brenda nodded and they lay down on the bed. David rubbed her back and she quickly fell asleep. He stared at the wall, thinking about how complicated everything was. He knew that Brenda was hurt, and his heart hurt for her. He also knew that there was nothing he could do. This was between her and Dylan. David didn't know whether he should step back or step up. Not knowing was making him crazy.

The phone rang and David hurriedly reached for it before it could wake Brenda up. "Hello?"

"David?"

"Donna," he said with a smile. Simply hearing Donnas' voice soothed him. "How are you?"

"I'm doing really well," she told him. "I enjoy the design classes. My teacher, Mr. Brody, told me that I'm the best in the class." David heard the smile in her voice.

"I knew you would be," he told her, meaning it. "I'm glad you're finally doing it."

"Me too," she said. "Um…this sounds dumb, probably, but did I call the right house? I was looking for Brenda."

David slid his arm from under Brenda slowly and stood up, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door. "No, you called the right number. She's lying down and everyone else is gone right now."

"Oh," Donna said, then was silent for a moment. "How, uh…how are things going there?"

David sighed. "Things have been better. I think all of our friends have lost their minds."

"What's going on?" Donna asked, concerned.

David filled her in on everything that had happened lately. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Donna," he admitted when he was done.

"Oh David, you were right. It sounds like they're all going crazy. What is _wrong _with Kelly?"

"Steve said it's a war between Brenda and Kelly."

"Brenda isn't in a war," Donna said, unknowingly repeating David's own thoughts. "If it's a war, it's one sided."

"I think so too." He looked toward the bathroom door. "It's really hard on Brenda."

"Kelly has always gone out of her way to make things hard on Brenda," Donna told him.

"I guess I never really noticed," David told her, ashamed.

"You can't blame yourself for that, David. I don't think anyone really noticed until recently. Besides Brenda, that is."

"So what's going on there?" David asked her, changing the subject.

"Well, the ball is in a week. It's going to be so much fun, but I'm so nervous! I'm used to having you around at dances; people always watched you and I could get by with barely moving my feet!" She laughed.

David felt a pain in his chest, right where his heart was. Donnas' laugh reminded him of better times between the two of them. Things hadn't always been terrible. "I miss you, Donna," he said before he'd thought about it.

Donnas' laughter faded. "I miss you guys too," she said deliberately.

David nodded to himself. "When Brenda wakes, do you want me to have her call you?"

"It sounds like she's really busy, so just tell her whenever she has time. Thanks, David," she said softly.

"Good bye, Donna," he said into the phone, hanging it up.

David walked out of the bedroom to find Brenda sitting in her nook and staring out the window. "Hey," he said, walking over towards her and kissing her on the forehead. Brenda smiled slightly at him, the turned back to the window.

"Want to work on your lines?" he asked, pulling them out of her pack.

She looked at him for a moment. "I kissed Dylan today," she told him, frowning.

David looked at her. "You kissed him?"

She nodded. "Just a small kiss," she said. "Our lips barely touched."

David watched her face. "Okay…"

Brenda looked into his eyes. "I wanted to stay there," she said brokenly. "I didn't want to leave, David. I still love him so much…"

David stood, unable to take his eyes off of her. "So why aren't you with him, Bren?"

Brenda shook her head. "Because I don't know what I'm doing," she said miserably. "I don't trust him."

David slowly sat on the bed. "So where does all of this leave me?"

Brenda got up and walked over to the bed. "What I feel for you is real," she told him, touching his face. "It's exciting and it's new and it makes me feel…happy." David nodded. "But I feel guilty, too, because I know I can never give you my whole heart."

David took her hand, kissing it. "So where does all of this leave me?" he repeated.

Brenda smiled slightly. "You're here, with me."

"Is this where I should be?" he asked, honestly confused.

Brenda looked at him. "I want you," she told him honestly. "But I don't want to hurt you, David."

David pulled her down into his lap, softly brushing her lips with his. "I started seeing you with no expectations, Bren. Just being with you right now is enough for me. Whenever you decide what you want, just let me know and we'll move on from there."

"Just like that?" she asked, watching his face.

"Just like that," he told her, looking into her eyes.

"I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you," she told him, sad.

"I'm a big boy," he told her, smiling.

Brenda laughed. "When you smile like that, you look like a little kid."

"Me? A little kid? Do I need to remind you of all of those amazing things I can do to your body?"

Brenda leaned her head down and caught his lower lip with her teeth, tugging on it gently. "I think I've forgotten," she told him teasingly.

David picked her up and laid her on the bed so quickly she didn't have time to take a breath. "David!" she shrieked, giggling.

"It's Mister David to you, wench," he told her, leaning over to trail kisses down her neck. "Sir. Mister David Sir."

Brenda continued to laugh, wrapping her arms around him. "Mister David Sir, can I have some more?"

"You can have whatever you want," he told her, looking into her eyes. Brenda stopped smiling, lost in the warmth of his gaze.

"I want you," she said simply, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Right here, right now, I want you."

"Then you can have me," he told her, lowering his head to kiss her. Brenda put her hands through his hair, pulling him closer.

David moved his hands up her body under her shirt, raising her up to undo her bra. He quickly pulled both it and her shirt off, his eyes roaming her body. She pulled him close so that her breasts were pressed against his bare chest and David felt as if he were on fire where their skin met. He kissed her deeply, rubbing her bare back with his hands.

They removed their clothes, but David couldn't remember doing it. All he could think about was how hot and tight she was around him, how she raised her hips to meet his, the sounds of pleasure she made against his lips.

Brenda felt the heat deliciously unfurl in her stomach, then crash over her in waves. She cried out, tightening her legs around David's hips and digging her fingernails into his arms. His cries followed hers and they stared at each other, breathing hard. David kissed her nose, then lay down on the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

Brenda stretched, then turned over so that they were facing each other. "Mister David Sir, that was lovely."

"Anytime, Bren," he told her, closing his eyes and smiling. "Anytime."


	15. Chapter 15

Valerie had to admit that she was feeling a little better today. All of the chaos and commotion at Dylan's house, coupled with meeting Brenda and Brandon's friends and visiting the beach house had effectively taken her mind off of her own issues. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but from the tension between all of the friends, it was clear that it was a big deal.

Valerie remembered from Brenda's letters that Dylan was "the" love of her life. Because they'd not talked in a few months, Valerie hadn't realized the couple had broken up, or that Brenda was dating David. After meeting David, though, Valerie could understand the appeal. His smile was infectious and he was built beautifully. He made Valerie laugh, which had been almost impossible to do lately.

Steve was very good looking as well. He was much taller and more muscular than the other guys, and his laugh was so genuine it warmed her. Valerie knew right off that Steve was a loyal friend and wanted to know more about him. She'd noticed him watching Andrea and wondered what that was about. From Brenda's letters, it had been clear that Brenda thought Andrea was in love with Brandon. Valerie didn't sense that at all. She saw the way Andrea watched Steve, too, when he wasn't looking. She had thought about mentioning it to Brenda, but with all that Brenda was dealing with right now, she felt it best to wait.

Andrea was exactly what Valerie had been lead to expect; confident, caring, intelligent, and witty. Valerie envied her ease with the men, her place in the group. She longed to belong to something; she'd felt like an outsider even in her own home. Andrea had included Valerie in all of the conversations, and Valerie appreciated it. She'd noticed that Andrea had a soothing presence, and welcomed it. It seemed to work on Brandon as well.

They'd checked out the apartment and Valerie had fallen in love with it. She'd never lived in a place so nice. To think that this one could be hers was almost too much for her to take in. Brandon watched her with a smile. "You like it, huh?"

"I do," she admitted, sighing. "I don't know that I've ever liked any place so much."

"I think it's only fair that we get to pick our own rooms, since Brenda isn't here to argue with us," Brandon said mischievously.

Valerie snorted. "Brandon, you and I both know that if we picked the one Brenda wanted we'd end up giving it to her eventually. She'd probably somehow make us think it was our own idea to give it to her," she added, smiling and shaking her head.

Brandon grinned. "I have become immune to Brenda's charm, my dear Valerie. She no longer gets her way all of the time." Valerie arched her eyebrow at him and Brandon rolled his eyes. "Well, not _all _of the time."

Valerie laughed. "She'll probably want that one," Valerie said, pointing to the bedroom that was off by itself. "It's smaller, but has more privacy."

"Probably," Brandon agreed. "That will leave us dueling to the death over the bigger bedroom."

"To the death, huh? What if I just smile and say pretty please let me have it?" She asked, batting her eyes at him.

"You've spent too much time with Brenda," he said, blowing out a breath in defeat. "I am no match for your feminine wiles."

Valerie grinned and winked at him. "I actually prefer the smaller room," she told him.

"Just like torturing me, is that it?" Brandon asked, smiling at her.

Valerie shrugged. "Maybe."

Brandon watched Jim and Cindy talk to the landlord. "Want to take a walk on the beach?"

Valerie nodded. When they got to the sand, she looked at him. "Is it safe to take my shoes off?"

Brandon nodded. "I always do. I haven't stepped on anything yet."

They both removed their shoes and walked to the water. Valerie looked out at the waves, imagining all of the people out on the water, all of the far off places across the sea. "This is special," she said, almost to herself.

Brandon watched her. "I think so, too."

She looked at him. "So, days aren't normally like today, huh?"

Brandon grimaced. "No," he told her. "Today was bad."

"What's going on?" she asked him.

"I'm not really sure," he said, sighing. "We're all confused, I guess."

"I think that's putting it mildly." She looked back up at the beach apartment. "Do you really think we can do it, Brandon? That we can make it work?"

Brandon put his hands in his pockets. "I think so, yeah." He smiled at her. "Is it weird for you? Being with us again, I mean. We were so young the last time we saw each other."

Valerie laughed quietly. "It is a little. I don't remember you being…" she searched for the right word. "Cute?"

Caught off guard, Brandon laughed loudly. "Me? Cute? You _hated _me."

Valerie laughed as well. "Come on, Brandon, I didn't hate you. You were just Brenda's annoying, know it all, tattle tale brother."

"And you hated me," he said again.

"I don't hate you now," she said, looking at him.

Brandon watched her face. "That's good to know," he told her, still smiling.

"I like your friends, too," she told him. "You and Brenda are lucky. They would all do anything for you two."

Brandon nodded. "And we would do anything for them. In Steve's case, "anything" is a lot." He rolled his eyes and Valerie laughed. "I don't know how it happened," he told her, "but I'm grateful for them."

"I hope that they like me," Valerie said wistfully.

"They will, Val," Brandon assured her.

"Things have been so bad," she told him softly. "I can't even remember the last time I felt hopeful."

"What happened?" Brandon asked her.

Valerie looked toward the water again. "I don't really know," she said lowly. "Dad just checked out one day. His body was still there, but his soul was somewhere else." She shrugged and looked at him. "I don't even know what caused it."

Brandon frowned and took her hand. "That must have been rough."

Valerie laughed bitterly. "There were worse things."

"Like what?"

Valerie stared at him for a moment. "It's not really something I like to talk about," she told him, terribly afraid she was going to cry.

Brandon nodded, then pulled her closer for a hug. They stood on the beach like that for a while, both looking out at the ocean. A warm breeze blew over them, and the only sound was the waves. "You're right," Brandon told her. "This is special."

Valerie looked up at him, tears in her eyes. Brandon studied her face, then slowly lowered his head and kissed her softly on the lips. Valerie leaned into the kiss, deepening it.

After a moment, Brandon pulled back and looked at her, dropping his arms. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he told her.

Valerie, embarrassed that he'd apologized for something she'd wanted so badly, nodded. "Yeah, me too," she told him. She laughed lightly, hoping the sound wouldn't betray her embarrassment. "Must be the beach."

Brandon nodded, then looked back up at the apartment. "We better get back up there, see what's going on."

"You go ahead," she told him. "I'll be up in just a minute."

"Valerie-"

"I'll be up in just a minute, Brandon," she told him again, softly.

Brandon looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Okay," he told her, then walked back toward the apartment.

Valerie turned back to stare at the water. What was she getting herself into?


	16. Chapter 16

Brandon wasn't sure how the meeting was going to go. He'd apologized to Dylan, but everyone's emotions were still running high. Thinking about his kiss with Valerie wasn't helping him any, either. Her lips had been softer than he'd ever imagined. A fire had started in his blood and though he'd pulled away, it was still burning.

"Think Dylan's going to go for it?" David asked Brandon, walking toward the Pit with him.

Brandon shook his head, trying to empty it of thoughts of Valerie. "I don't know," he told David honestly. "It's a good investment, but he and Nat are having problems with the Peach Pit. He may be leery of getting involved in another business right now."

David nodded, thinking. He hadn't wanted to leave Brenda tonight. Though she said she was fine, David knew that she was hurting over everything that had happened in the last few days. "I've been trying to call Kelly," David told Brandon. "Can't get her. Have you talked to her?"

Brandon shook his head. "I've thought about calling her, but I don't know what I'd say. Kelly and I have never been very close."

"I talked to Donna earlier. She said that Kelly has always tried to hurt Brenda."

"Why were you talking to Donna?" Brandon asked, eyebrows raised.

"Don't look at me like that, Walsh. She called for Brenda, but Brenda was taking a nap."

Brandon nodded. "How's she doing?"

David smiled. "She said she's doing great. First in her class, getting ready for a ball. She sounded happy."

"That's good, I hope she is. I know Brenda misses her." Brandon looked at David. "What did you think about Valerie?"

"She's alright. I didn't get to talk to her much. There's something…sad about her." David shrugged.

Brandon frowned. "Yeah, I get that too."  
"She really cares about you and Brenda," David told him. "I could tell that from the way she was watching you two today." He opened the door and let Brandon walk in. "Plus," he said from behind his friend, "she's beautiful."

Brandon smiled. "She is that."

Steve was sitting at the counter drinking a cup of coffee. "Hey guys," he said, smiling as they walked in.

Brandon sat beside him, David on the other side. "Dylan here yet?" Brandon asked him.

"Haven't seen him. They've been kind of busy, though, so I've stayed out of the way as much as possible," Steve told him.

"Where's Nat?" David asked.

"He's in the back talking to Willy."

"Is he really interested in this?" Brandon asked him.

"Yeah, man. He knows I've got this," Steve said confidently.

Brandon grinned at his friend. "Steve, how many times have you told me that "you got this"?" Brandon was forever having to get Steve out of some mess the other man had gotten into.

Steve chuckled. "But I mean it this time."

David groaned. "You always mean it."

Steve shrugged. "We'll see." He looked at Brandon. "So that's Valerie, huh?"

Brandon nodded. "That's her."

"She's hot," Steve told him, taking a sip of his coffee.

Brandon choked on a laugh. "She's very pretty."

"Brandon," Steve said, giving him a look, "she's _hot_. Smoking. Don't tell me you didn't notice."

"Steve, she's my sister's best friend. I've known her since we were all practically in diapers."

"And she's hot." Steve looked at David. "Silver, back me up here."

"She's hot," he agreed. At Brandon's look he shrugged. "What? She is."

"Can we talk about something else, please?" Brandon asked them.

"Boys!" Nat called, coming back into the diner. "I didn't realize you were here yet. Can I get you something?"

Brandon shook his head and David said, "No thanks, Nat. Is Dylan here yet?"

"He called a few minutes ago, said he's on his way." Nat leaned closer to the boys. "He sounds a little down."

"Yeah?" Brandon asked. None of the men would look at the other. "We'll just wait out here, Nat. Let us know when you guys are ready."

Nat nodded and walked off. Steve looked at David. "How's Brenda?"

"She's upset about today, nervous about her call back, and furious at Kelly," David summarized.

Steve nodded. "Sounds right. Has anyone talked to Kelly?" Brandon and David shook their heads. "Me either." He sighed. "I guess I'll try tomorrow."

Dylan and Nat walked in from the back. Brandon winced at Dylan's black eye and swollen lip. "D," he said, nodding to the other man.

"Brandon," Dylan said with a nod. "You guys want to come into the office?"

The office was small, but all five men managed to sit. "Have you looked at the proposal, Dylan?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Dylan said, glancing though some of the papers Steve had brought. "I talked to Jim earlier, too," he told them, briefly glancing at Brandon. "He said it seems like a solid investment."

Nat leaned forward. "The Pit isn't bringing in any money, guys."

"We're hemorrhaging money, Nat," Dylan said, sitting back and closing his eyes.

Nat grimaced and nodded. "It's true." He looked at Brandon, David and Steve. "If I put money into this After Dark idea and it doesn't work out, I'll be left with nothing."

"You're not going to be left with nothing, Nat," Dylan told him.

"I've already told you, Dylan, you're not going to give me any money. This is my business, dammit!" He took a breath and lowered his voice. "If I run it into the ground, it's on me."

"The After Dark will bring new people into the Peach Pit," Steve told them. "It will make money on its own, as well as bring in money for this place."

"What if no one comes?" Nat asked.

"People will come, Nat," David said, speaking up for the first time. "I conducted a research study at CU." He pulled some papers out of the folder he brought and handed them to Nat, giving copies to Dylan as well.

"Nice," Steve mouthed to him, and Brandon winked at him.

"We'll have live entertainment, a bar, dancing...It will be both classy and inviting." Steve pulled out some of the papers he'd brought, showing Nat and Dylan his plans for the remodeling.

"The remodeling costs and the regular start up business costs can be offset in the first year of business if we watch the following," Brandon said, giving them the papers he'd brought.

"Look at you boys," Nat said, looking over the papers. "Businessmen with your own files and papers…" he smiled. "I hope you make better businessmen than your old buddy Nat."

"Nat, if we're going to get into a business arrangement with them, we need to fully disclose the state of affairs of the Peach Pit," Dylan told him. He ignored Nat's glare and looked at his friends. "Nat's brother took out a loan against the Pit before he sold his part to me.

"Could he do that?" Brandon asked, confused.

Dylan shrugged. "It's done. Nat won't let me pay the loan off, even though it's cutting into the Pit's profits and driving both of us crazy."

"Dylan," Nat warned.

"Anyway, we're going to have to do something to pull us out of this financial hole we've found ourselves in." He looked at the papers they'd given him, then at his friends. "Looks like we're going to be partners, boys," he said, smiling.

"Yes!" Steve said, jumping up and shaking Dylan's, then Nat's hands. "You won't regret this, either one of you," he promised.

Brandon stood as well and hugged Nat tightly. "You won't be sorry," he told the older man.

"Ah, Brandon, I know you can do it," Nat told him.

David shook hands with both men, excited. This was huge for him; a chance to play music and be in charge of something. "Thanks, man," he told Dylan.

"It's a good idea," Dylan said simply. He watched David for a moment. "How's Bren?"

"She's okay," David told him. "Worried about her call back tomorrow. With Kelly getting a call back too…"

"Wait, what?" Dylan interrupted. "Kelly tried out for Maggie?"

David nodded. "Yeah. A guy that works at the theater said she's okay, but not as good as Brenda. He said that Kelly asked Randolph to go out for coffee after the audition."

Dylan closed his eyes for a moment. "Have you talked to Kelly?"

"No."

"Someone needs to," Dylan told him.

David nodded again. "Steve said he's going to talk to her tomorrow."

Dylan shook his head. "It's probably my fault," he said.

"What Kelly does, Dylan, is because of Kelly," David told the other man. "You may have hurt her, but you didn't run out and make her audition for the role Brenda's been running lines for for months."

Dylan sighed. "I hope not."

The men made plans to sign papers the next day for the old pharmacy building, setting up a meeting with the Peach Pits lawyer for the next day as well. As they left, each man was thinking about the future…and what it meant.


	17. Chapter 17

Brenda took a deep breath before opening the theater door. She'd told David that she wanted to go for the call back alone; he, Valerie and Brandon had offered to take her. Even Andrea had called to see if she wanted some moral support. Brenda was grateful for her friends, but felt that this was something she had to do alone.

"Nervous, Bren?" Kelly said behind her.

Brenda turned around and glared at her friend. "Kelly," she said, looking at the other woman contemptuously. "This role is important to me."

"Oh, it's important to me, too," Kelly told her. "I never realized how big of a thrill acting could be until I tried out for Maggie. I like it."

"Maybe you should get a life of your own, Kelly, and stop trying to steal mine."

"I have a life of my own," Kelly told her, smiling.

"Yeah, I know all about it," Brenda told her, crossing her arms. "I also know that you have nothing that is yours alone. Face it, Kel. You have nothing because you _are_ nothing."

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" Kelly said, brushing past Brenda and walking into the theater. Brenda resisted the urge to grab her hair and jerk her back out.

"Just breathe," she told herself, taking deep breaths. She opened the door and walked in, replacing her frown with a mask of confidence.

She sat in the theater and watched other actors. She grimaced when some forgot their lines, smiled when others nailed theirs. She hoped to be a part of this cast...there were some really brilliant people in this play. She watched Kelly, who sat beside Randolph, laugh and talk through most of the auditions. She noticed more than once that Randolph silenced her, or simply talked over her. Feeling a little better about her chances, Brenda relaxed. She knew her lines, and she knew she could do this.

Kelly's turn came before hers and Brenda watched her every move. She'd never really seen Kelly act and had no idea what to expect. She was surprised at how good Kelly actually was. She couldn't help but think she was better, but Kelly was decent enough. Probably decent enough to carry the lead, even if she wasn't the best.

Kelly winked at Brenda after her performance and then it was Brenda's turn. Ridding her mind of everything but Maggie the Cat, she walked on stage and did the best she could. She forgot about Kelly, about the audience, even about Randolph. For fifteen minutes, Brenda Walsh became Maggie the Cat. After her audition was over, she was startled back into reality by applause from the audience. Shielding her eyes, she found Brandon, David, Valerie, Steve, Andrea and even Dylan. She smiled at them, touched. She bowed to them, then turned toward Randolph, who was watching her intently. Kelly had disappeared. He nodded at her, a small smile on his face.

"You guys," she said, walking to her friends, "I told you not to come!"

"We didn't come for you," Brandon told her, kissing her forehead and putting his arm around her shoulder. "We came for a sneak peak of the show."

"We figured that since you're going to be a famous actress someday, watching your audition would give us bragging rights later on," Steve told her. "I can maybe even use it as a pick up line."

Brenda laughed. "Nice, Steve."

"Where did Kelly go?" Andrea asked, looking around the theater.

"She left when we walked in," David said. He sighed. "I was going to talk to her, but I didn't get a chance."

Brenda nodded. "So where are you guys going now?"

"I have class," Brandon told her. "In fact," he said, looking at his watch, "I better get to it." He kissed Brenda on the forehead and waved to the others. "I'll catch you guys later, right?"

David and Steve nodded. "I'm going to head out and look for Kelly," Steve told them. "I'm going to try to figure out what's going on with her."

"I'll come with you," Andrea said.

"Good idea," he told her, winking. He put his arm around her as they walked out of the theater.

David hugged her. "I've got to run to my next class too. Can't miss it again." He kissed her forehead. "You were amazing," he told her.

Brenda smiled at him. "Thank you David." He left and her eyes followed him.

Brenda looked at Dylan. He smiled at her, staring into her eyes. "I knew you could do it," he told her.

"Thanks," Brenda told him, biting her bottom lip. They stared at each other for a moment.

"I've got to get to the Pit," he said, still staring into her eyes. "I guess I'll see you guys later." He nodded at Val, who smiled at him and left.

"Wow," Valerie said when the door shut behind him.

"What?"

"Oh come on," she said, snorting. "What? How about the look you and Dylan just gave each other? Or the way his voice changes when he talks to you? Or the way your breathing speeds up when he's around?"

Brenda grimaced. "That bad, huh?'

"Girl, that's the worst I've ever seen it."

"I don't know what to do," Brenda moaned, putting her arm through Valerie's as they walked out of the theater and across campus.

"I don't know what to tell you," Valerie admitted. "I'm still not sure what happened between you and Dylan, other than it has something to do with Kelly."

Brenda filled Valerie in on her trip to Paris, Rick, Dylan and Kelly and Dylan's choice.

"And you're still _friends _with this bitch?" Valerie asked, incredulous.

Brenda sighed. "I don't know what we are." She looked at Valerie. "It wasn't all Kelly. Dylan is just as guilty."

"I don't know if you've noticed or not, Bren," Valerie told her friend, "but I think he's seen the light." They found a bench and sat down. "I've never seen anyone look so miserable. When you were talking to David, I was worried that Dylan was going to be sick."

Brenda closed her eyes and tilted her face to the sun. "I don't want to hurt him," she said. "I just need time away from him. And David is amazing."

Valerie smiled. "So far it seems like all men in Beverly Hills are. And speaking of men in Beverly Hills," Valerie said hesitantly, "Brandon kissed me."

Brenda's mouth fell open and she stared at Valerie in shock. "Brandon kissed you? When?"

"Last night when we were standing on the beach." Valerie looked away from Brenda. "I don't think it'll happen again, though."

Brenda studied Valerie's face. "Do you want it to happen again?"

Valerie looked down. "I don't know what I want."

Brenda didn't know if she should say anything else or not. The idea of Valerie and Brandon together…it was just weird. Valerie was like a sister to her, and Brandon was her twin. "Well, I'm pretty sure you could have Steve," Brenda told her, joking to lighten the mood.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Valerie said.

Brenda looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Valerie grinned. "I've only been here a few days and I've already noticed how she and Steve tend to break off from the group."

Brenda's mouth once again dropped open. "Andrea and Steve?" She thought about it for a moment. "Oh my gosh," she whispered.

Valerie laughed at her. "You see it now, right?"

"How did I miss that? Do you think they realize?"

"I don't think so," Valerie told her. "It's a bit of an odd pairing, isn't it?"

"The brain and the jock," Brenda said, amused. "Not so odd." The women were silent for a moment. "What are you thinking, Valerie?"

Valerie sighed. "Thinking about moving into the beach apartment. I really like it there; I've never really had my own space. I've always had to share my room." She smiled. "It will be good to have my own domain."

"We start moving in tomorrow," Brenda said. "I can't believe it. It seems like everything is happening so quickly."

"Brandon told me that we can both probably get jobs working at the After Dark." She shrugged. "They're going to need help, so they may as well hire us, right?"

Brenda nodded. "Where are you headed now?"

"I was thinking about checking out the admissions office," Valerie admitted.

"I didn't know you were thinking about going to school here! That's great."

Valerie shrugged. "I would really like to take some business classes. I can still work and help with the bills," she hurriedly added."

Brenda waved Val's concern off. "We'll all work and we'll all help out and it will be fantastic." She smiled at her oldest friend.

Looking at Brenda and smiling, Val said, "This is the first time I've actually felt like it will be."


	18. Chapter 18

Steve and Andrea walked around the campus together but couldn't find Kelly. They stopped for a while and sat down on a bench. "Brenda was amazing, wasn't she?" Andrea asked him.

"I knew she would be," Steve told her. "I was a little worried that her nerves would get the best of her, but she was calm." Steve looked at Andrea. "I could have never done that."

"Me either," Andrea agreed. "I actually saw part of Kelly's audition. She was better than I expected, but Brenda was in a league of her own." She shaded her eyes and looked at him. "When was the last time you talked to Kelly?"

"It's been over a week. You?"

"It's been that long for me too, maybe longer." She shrugged. "Kelly and I get along okay, but it's easier if Brenda or Donna is around." Andrea liked Kelly, but they had nothing in common and she often felt like Kelly only tolerated her because Brenda and Brandon did.

"It's always easier to be around Kelly if you have a buffer," Steve agreed. "Have you talked to Donna?"

Andrea smiled. "Yeah, she called last night. She sounds good. Happy."

"I thought so too. I told her I'd throw her a party at the KEG house when she gets back. It'll be better than any ball she could go to in Texas."

Laughing, Andrea said, "I'm sure it will be."

"You know," he said, looking at her, "you've never been to one of our parties."

"I haven't had time," Andrea hedged. "I have to keep my grades up to keep my scholarship."

"I keep inviting you, you keep saying you can't," Steve said, annoyed. "What gives?"

Andrea folded her arms over her chest. "I wouldn't know what to do at a KEG party," she said finally.

Steve looked at her. "Well, you'd drink, you'd dance, and you'd talk to other people…"

Andrea snorted softly. "I don't drink and I'm a terrible dancer. I don't know any of the other guys in KEG house and I probably wouldn't know any of the girls that come to the parties either." She faced him. "I wouldn't fit in, Steve."

"Andrea, you'd be with me," he said, holding her hand. "If you don't want to drink, I won't. If you don't want to dance, we'll stand in the corner and laugh at the people who are. And you can talk to me, or let me introduce you to people."

Andrea looked off. "I've seen you in action, Steve. You wouldn't be able to just stand in the corner talking to me."

Steve tugged on her hand. "And I've seen _you_ in action," he told her. "I know that once you get over being scared of what everyone's thinking, you are capable of having a good time."

Andrea glared at him. "It's not that easy! You've spent your whole life fitting in. Until Brandon and Brenda got here, I had no one." A tear fell out of the corner of her eye and she wiped it away, embarrassed. "I spent the majority of my life not fitting in. Even with you guys, I'm always wondering when you're going to realize I don't belong."

"Andrea," Steve said lowly, leaning towards her.

Andrea jumped up. "I've got to get back to my dorm room. Let me know if you find Kelly." Before Steve could say anything, she was gone.

Steve sat on the bench for a while, staring after her. He could admit to himself that he wasn't a very perceptive person. When it came to others feelings, he often didn't have a clue. Even after acknowledging all that, he was shocked that he hadn't realized how far removed from the group Andrea felt. And that bothered him.

"What are you looking at, Steve?" Kelly asked him.

He looked forward to find her standing in front of him, arms crossed. "Hey Kel," he said, patting the bench so she would sit beside him. "I've been looking for you."

"Why?" Kelly asked, sitting.

Steve put his elbows on his knees and looked over at her. "How've you been?"

"Great," she said, her smile brittle. "I've been great."

Steve looked into her eyes. "Kelly," he said softly. "We've been friends for a long time. You can tell me what's going on."

Kelly took a deep breath. "Friends? I don't feel like I have any friends," she told him.

"You haven't even talked to me in over a week. David's been trying to call you. I know Brenda has tried to talk to you."

Kelly leaned her head back and looked at the sky. "I haven't talked to you because I've been busy. I had to move, had school, getting settled in, all that."

"I could have helped you move." Kelly gave him a look. "What? These muscles aren't just for show, you know. They're fully functioning."

"Well, I didn't need your muscles. I had a moving company take care of it." She made a face. "I'm really going to miss that place. I miss Donna, too. She hasn't even called me." Kelly frowned. "She's my best friend and she's not called me once."

"She called me," Steve said, then made a face. "Sorry."

"No, I figured she'd called all of you guys." She sat for a moment. "It hurts."

"Kelly, what's the problem? What's going on that has everything all messed up? When I found out you'd tried out for Maggie, _I _felt betrayed on Brenda's behalf."

Kelly sighed. "Can't I have something too? Brenda has everything. She has Brandon, her parents, David, Donna, Andrea, you. And Dylan," she said bitterly. "We can't forget that she has Dylan."

Steve ran his hand through his hair. "She's not seeing Dylan, Kelly. She had nothing to do with Dylan breaking up with you."

"Of course she did. Dylan is still in love with her, Steve. That's why we broke up."

Steve stared at her. "Kelly," he started, "Dylan was in love with her when you two got together. He's always loved her. Brenda can't help that any more than you can help being in love with him."

Kelly's throat worked. "It's just not fair, Steve. I've always wanted him."

"We don't always get what we want, Kel." Steve wasn't sure what to say next. Even he could tell that Kelly was hurting, but it seemed to him that it was all brought on by herself. "Kelly, you can't keep trying to take things from Brenda just because the man you love is in love with her."

"If it was really hers, I couldn't take it."

"Kelly," Steve sighed, "just stop this. You're putting a wedge between you and everyone else and there's no reason for it. Be happy for Brenda. She's your friend. Be happy for David because he's your brother. Be happy for yourself because you're starting a new chapter in your life."

"I wish I could," she said, her eyes shining with tears. "I've got to go."

Steve watched her leave. _0 for 2_, he thought to himself. He got up with a heavy heart, hating the fact that he'd just made two of his best friends cry.


	19. Chapter 19

Brenda sat on her bed going through old pictures of high school. Most of them were, of course, of her and Dylan. Each one sent a new pain through her heart. She had never loved anyone like she did Dylan McKay. As silly as it sounds for a 19 year old to say, she had found her true love when she was 15.

"Hey Brenda, aren't you supposed to be boxing things up instead of pulling things out?" Brandon said from the bathroom door.

"I know," Brenda told him. "I just found some of our old high school pictures and was looking at them."

Brandon walked in and sat on the bed, watching her. "Bren, why do you do this to yourself?"

"I don't know," she said, frustrated. "I can't seem to stop."

Brandon picked some up and looked at them. "Check out Steve's mullet," he said, grinning.

"Oh yeah?" She tossed him a picture. "Check out yours."

Brandon started laughing, looking at a picture of them when they'd moved to Beverly Hills. "That's not a mullet. Is it?" Brenda nodded. "Well crap." He looked at the picture again. "Look at your pants!"

Brenda grabbed the picture from him and put it back in the box, smiling. Then she picked up a picture and giggled. "Look at Donnas' hair in this picture!"

Brandon stared at the picture. "Is that David?"

Brenda smiled, nodding. "Yeah. Look how little he was!"

"We were all so young," Brandon said, picking up some more pictures. He found one of him and Emily Valentine. "I wonder what ever happened to her?"

"Hopefully she got some help." Brenda picked out a picture of Andrea and Steve. "Hey Brandon, have you noticed that Steve and Andrea have been spending more time together?"

Brandon shrugged. "I guess so. I know he keeps trying to get her to go to one of his KEG parties."

"Why won't she go?"

"I don't know. Maybe she would if you went with her."

Brenda thought about it. "I could take Val, too, introduce her to some people."

"What kind of people?" Brandon asked, not looking at her.

"Just some friends. Maybe some guys." Brenda was watching for Brandon's reaction and noticed him tense up.

"Do you think it's a good idea to start hooking her up with random guys this soon?" Brandon asked, looking at her.

"They wouldn't be random guys. They're my friends."

"Maybe you should give her some time to get settled in," Brandon told her.

"Maybe you should just admit that you have feelings for her," Brenda suggested.

Brandon stared at her for a moment, then looked away. "I don't have feelings for her."

"Brandon, I'm your twin. You can't lie to me."

"Yeah, well, I'm _your_ twin and you can't lie to me either."  
"What's that supposed to mean? What have I lied about?"

"You're running around with David Silver, acting like you're happy and everything is fine, but I know, Bren." He looked at her. "I know it's killing you to not be with Dylan."

Brenda stared at him. "I am trying my best to move on and make something else for myself, Brandon. It's hard." She looked down at a picture of her and Dylan. "It's the hardest thing I've ever done. But without trust, what kind of relationship can you have? How long until Dylan decides he's tired of me again?"

"Dylan never stopped loving you, Bren."

"He slept with Kelly, Brandon!" Brenda yelled at him. "If he were in love with me, he wouldn't have done that. And why are you taking up for him?"

"I'm not taking up for him, I just hate to see you miserable!" he yelled back at her.

"I've been miserable for months now and you haven't cared," she accused.

"I cared, Brenda. I've always cared. But now you've dragged David into it-"

"How dare you! _Dragged David into it_? I'm in a relationship with David, Brandon. I like him, he likes me. We have fun together, which is something you'd know nothing about because you never have fun!"

"What do you mean, I never have fun?"

"You're afraid to live your life," she told him. "You're afraid to really fall for anyone. All of that time, Andrea was so in love with you and you ignored it. It's the same with every girl, and now you're doing it with Valerie!"

"You don't know anything about me and Valerie, Brenda. I don't even know anything about me and Valerie!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Jim said, coming into the room. "I could hear you two screaming from outside!"

"Sorry dad," Brenda told him, putting her pictures in the box, angry.

Brandon stood up. "Yeah, sorry," he said, walking toward him bedroom.

"Brandon, stop," Jim said. He looked at his kids. "You haven't even moved out yet and you're already fighting. Is moving to the beach house a good idea?"

Brenda looked at him. "Of course it is. Just because we argue doesn't mean we shouldn't live together." She smiled at him. "If that were the case, one of us would have had to move a long time ago."

Jim thought for a moment, then nodded. "Just calm down. David and Steve are here to help. Is it okay to send them up now, or do you two need another minute?"

Brenda opened her mouth to tell him to send them up, but Brandon said, "Give us another minute."

"Okay. They're loading up what you've got boxed up down there already." He sighed. "Your mother is still in the kitchen pretending she's not crying. I'll go check on her."

He left and Brenda turned to look at Brandon. "What?"

Brandon sighed. "I don't want to fight Brenda. I'm just worried about you."

"I don't want to fight either," she admitted. "And I'm not just using David. I really like him."

Brandon nodded, but didn't say anything. "I didn't mean to kiss Valerie, it just happened. I shouldn't have done it."

"You need to figure out how you feel about her, and quick. She's been through enough."

"I know," he said softly.

"We're all going to be living together," Brenda said, shaking her head. "This is going to be fun."

Brandon chuckled. "That's the spirit." He tossed the picture he still held at her. "Now get to packing."

Brenda nodded, smiling when she looked down at the picture of her and Brandon. David stuck his head in the door and knocked against the frame. "Hey," he said, walking in.

"Hey yourself," she said, getting up and kissing him.

"I thought you were supposed to be packing?" he said, looking at her bed and all of the pictures scattered on it.

"I am, I am," she said. "See?' she pointed at several boxes stacked behind the door.

David hugged her, his hands rubbing her back. "I can't believe you're going to have your own place," he told her.

Brenda arched her eyebrow at him. "It's not my own place; Brandon and Val will be there too."

David nodded, looking down at her. "But no parents."

"Come on, Silver, I can hear what you're thinking from over here," Brandon said behind them. "A little control, please? That _is _my sister. Haven't we already had this conversation?"

Brenda leaned her head against David's chest and laughed. "Sorry man," David said, grinning. "Can't help it."

"Try," Brandon said. "Steve and I are getting ready to haul the beds down. Want to give us a hand?"

"Sure," David told him. Brandon left and David looked down at Brenda, suddenly serious. "It's not only about sex, Bren. I just like being around you. You make me feel good about everything."

"It's the same for me," Brenda told him, smiling. She leaned up and kissed him, then whispered in his ear, "But the sex is a plus."

David laughed and walked towards Brandon's room. "Better get to work, Bren," he told her. "You've got your own place to move into."

Brenda nodded and got to work, thinking about all of the things she'd be able to do with a place of her own. And a man of her own.


	20. Chapter 20

Dylan heard a knock on his door and thought about not answering it. He hadn't been sleeping well and was too tired to deal with anyone today. When he got to the door and saw that it was Kelly, he literally almost went back to bed.

Opening the door, he leaned against it. "Hey," he said.

"Dylan," Kelly said. "Can I come in?"

"What do you want, Kel?" he asked, stepping back and letting her in.

"I just need someone to talk to," she said, walking into the living room.

"And that someone is me?" Dylan asked wearily.

"I don't really have anyone else," Kelly told him.

"Fair enough," Dylan said, leaning against the wall. "What's on your mind?"

Kelly put her face in her hands and rested her elbows on her knees. "Everyone hates me."

Dylan sighed. "Everyone doesn't hate you, Kelly."

She looked up and glared at him. "No? Then explain why no one has called me in over a week. Explain why no one offered to come over to my apartment and help me move. Can you tell me why my own brother hasn't been by to visit me once? Or why my best friend hasn't called me from Texas? Because the only thing I can think of is that everyone hates me."

"Kelly, have you called any of them? Tried to talk to any of them?"

"Dylan, don't you think that at least one of them would have called me?"

"I seem to remember David saying that he had tried to call you," Dylan told her.

"So you're talking to David? Even though he's going out with Brenda?"

"They're my friends," Dylan told her. "They're your friends too. Which is why," he said, moving to the chair and sitting down, "I can't understand why you seem to be going out of your way to hurt them." He stared at her for a moment. "Why'd you try out for Maggie, Kelly?"

Kelly sat up. "Why is everyone so upset about that? Why can't I go out for the part if I want to?"

"Are you being serious?" Dylan asked her. "You've been around; you know how much it meant to Brenda. Why would you even try out for it?"

"What if I wanted it just as badly as she did? Would it be okay for me to try out then?" Kelly asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Dylan cocked his eyebrow at her. "Did you?"

"What if I did?"

"Did you?" Dylan demanded. He leaned forward. "Tell me, Kel, did you really want to play Maggie the Cat?"

"I don't know," Kelly said, looking away. "I don't know what I want."

"Kelly, Brenda didn't have anything to do with our break up," Dylan told her tiredly.

"She didn't, huh? Then what did?" She stared at him. "What changed, Dylan? You told me that you wanted me, that you'd always wanted me. And now you just don't?"

Dylan leaned back and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kelly. It seems like that's all I'm ever saying to everyone, but I am." He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I messed up."

"So why did you do it? Why did you pick me? Why the fling this summer?"

"Kelly," he began with a sigh.

"No, Dylan," she said, cutting him off. "You owe me the truth, at least."

"I was tired of fighting so hard," he told her, finally looking at her. "I was tearing her and her family apart, and it was killing me." Kelly nodded and he continued. "I cared too much, felt too much. I needed a break. I just…" he ran his hand through his hair. "I just needed a break. It was getting too real and it scared me."

A tear slipped down Kelly's cheek. "And you chose me to hurt her for making you feel that way. You chose me because I made it so easy. I wanted you so much; I was willing to go along with anything just to get you."

Dylan didn't say anything for a moment, and then nodded. "I'm a jerk, Kelly. I know I am. I hurt you and I hurt Brenda," he said finally. He sighed, looking out the window. "The truth is, I'm not worthy of love from either of you." He looked back at her. "Brenda is moving on without me, and I can't blame her. I've hurt her so much; it makes sense that she would never trust me again. That's what you need to do too. It's time for us to all move on."

It was Kelly's turn to sit for a moment. "I don't know what to move on to," she told him weakly. "I don't know what to do or who to be."

"It's time for you to find out. Maybe this is the best thing that's ever happened to us; we all get hurt and we see what we're really made of."

Kelly dropped her head. "I don't want to," she said miserably. "I'm afraid of what I'll find."

"I think you're stronger than you know," Dylan told her.

"I don't think you know me as well as you think you do," she said, looking at him.

"I've known you since kindergarten, Kelly. I think I know you pretty well," he told her, smiling slightly.

"And you never showed any interest in me until summer. I should have known," she laughed bitterly. She sighed and stared at him. "I guess I just wanted it to be real."

"I did too," he told her softly. "But it wasn't."

Kelly nodded, acknowledging the pain his words caused. "Couldn't we try, Dylan?" she asked him, tears in her eyes. "Couldn't we stay together and see if it works?"

"That wouldn't be fair to either of us," Dylan told her, hurting because of the pain in her eyes. "You'll never find the right guy if you're holding on to the wrong one."

Kelly nodded. "I guess that's it then," she said. A sob escaped her and she put her face in her hands again and cried; deep racking sobs that stabbed Dylan with guilt. He got up and sat beside her on the couch, pulling her to him for a hug.

Finally her tears subsided and she pulled away from him, looking everywhere but his face. "I'll go now. I'm supposed to be waiting for a call from Randolph about the play." Dylan shook his head but didn't say anything. Kelly noticed and said, "Don't worry Dylan. You saw her. You know she got the part."

Dylan stood up with her and walked her to the door. "Kelly, if you really want to act, you should try it. But don't do it just because you want to compete with Brenda."

Kelly nodded. "It was childish of me," she admitted.

"Maybe you should talk to Brenda about it," Dylan suggested. "She's trying to be your friend. You should let her."

Kelly looked into his eyes. "After everything I've done, do you think I deserve a friend like Brenda?"

Dylan shrugged. "I think everyone needs friends like Brenda and Brandon, no matter what they've done. They have a way of balancing everything out."

Kelly opened the door and looked back at him. "I love you, Dylan," she said, her lower lip trembling. Without waiting for a reply, she shut the door and walked out.

Dylan watched her leave through the door, wishing he could call her back and tell her he loved her and they could make it work. But he didn't love her, and he wasn't willing to hurt her even more by pretending he did. Walking back towards his bedroom, heart heavy, he wanted nothing more than to hear Brenda's voice telling him everything would be okay. The silence mocked him as he laid down on the bed and pulled the cover over his head.


	21. Chapter 21

Valerie couldn't stop smiling. She moved things around in her new room, happy to be able to change anything she wanted. She'd soon be making enough money to buy a couple of things to finish fixing it up; Brandon and Company were hiring her and Brenda to help with the remodeling. It was going to be hard, dirty work but she and Brenda were both looking forward to it.

Valerie was concerned about Brenda having to spend so much time with both David and Dylan, but when she'd asked her friend about it she'd said things would work out; Valerie hoped she was right. She looked at a framed picture of herself and Brenda sitting on the dresser Cindy had given her. They were so young in the picture; both girls were missing an opposite front tooth. Thinking about happier times, she pulled her pajamas out of the dresser and got ready for a shower.

Since Brenda and Brandon were at the Walsh house, Valerie walked out of her room in her underwear-and walked right into Brandon. "Brandon!" she shrieked, jumping.

Brandon's hands caught her arms, steadying her. "Hey, sorry," he told her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Heart racing, Valerie took a deep breath. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Brenda were going to stay one more night with Jim and Cindy."

"We are, but I forgot my books here and had to come by and get them."

His hands were still on her arms, his thumbs rubbing her skin. She didn't think he noticed, but it was all she could think about. "Oh," she said lamely. "I was just going to, uh…take a shower."

Brandon tried to keep his eyes on her face, but he couldn't stop them from moving lower. "I can see that," he said huskily. He cleared his throat, quickly moving his eyes back to hers. "I didn't mean to get in your way."

Valerie froze. "Could you turn around?" she asked him suddenly. "I'm a little embarrassed.

"Sure," Brandon said, nodding. He turned his head but noticed a mark on her stomach as he did. Valerie was wrapping her towel around herself when he looked back.

"Hey," she said, her eyes flashing a warning. "Turn around Brandon."

"What was that?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

"What was what?" she asked defiantly.

"What was that on your stomach, Valerie?" he said lowly.

She started to back away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said flippantly, dismissing him. "I'm going to take a shower now."

"Valerie," Brandon growled. "Let me see it."

Tears filled Valerie's eyes. "Leave me alone, Brandon, I mean it."

Brandon reached out and caught her hand, stopping her and stepping closer. She tilted her head back to look at him and he saw fear in her eyes. "You don't have to be afraid of me," he whispered, pushing a piece of her hair out of her face.

Valerie closed her eyes and a tear escaped from the corners of them. "I'm not afraid of you."

"You are too," he said, frowning. "Valerie, you can show me. You can talk to me about it."

She shook her head, opening her eyes to look at him. "There's nothing to talk about Brandon."

Brandon held her gaze, his unwavering. "Please?" he begged her softly.

Dropping her head, Valerie stepped back. She slowly lowered the towel, allowing Brandon to see her body. All of the breath left his lungs when he found scar after scar marring her skin. Full words were carved into her flesh, and some of the marks looked fresh. "Valerie," he said hoarsely, tears in his own eyes. "My God, what happened to you? Who did this?"

Valerie met his gaze. "My father," she said simply, chin quivering.

"No," he whispered, looking at the marks again. "Oh, no."

The dam broke and deep sobs wracked Valerie's body. Brandon pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, baby," he whispered, hugging her tightly. "It's okay now."

"It will never be okay, Brandon," Valerie said, not lifting her face up. "They'll never go away," she cried.

Brandon closed his eyes, his heart aching for her. "I promise, Val, we'll think of some way to fix it."

Valerie pulled her head away, staring at him. "How, Brandon? They're everywhere. Sometimes I can still feel the knife…" She broke off and shuddered.

"Don't think about it," Brandon told her, wiping the tears from her face. "I'll fix it. I don't know how yet, but I will. I promise you."

Valerie nodded, staring into his eyes. "Please don't tell anyone, okay? Not even Brenda? Please?"

"I won't say anything," he promised. He longed to erase the pain from her face but didn't know what to do.

Valerie nodded, stepping away. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping tears away, embarrassed. "I know how awful all of this must look."

"You're beautiful," Brandon told her. It was true; even crying, Valerie Malone was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever known. "You're so beautiful you make my heart stop."

Valerie drew in a breath, shocked. "Brandon, you don't have to…you don't have to try to make me feel better. It's okay."

"It's not okay," he said, fiercely, pulling her back to him. "And I said it because I meant it." He slowly lowered his lips, brushing them against hers. He pulled back to look at her. "I feel like I'm on fire when I'm around you."

Valerie sighed and put her head against his chest. "Thank you." Brandon suddenly picked her up, and she gasped. "What are you doing?" she asked as he carried her toward the bathroom.

"You need a shower, right?"

"Brandon," she said, confused.

"Shh," he told her softly, setting her down in front of the shower. "Let me."

Valerie stared into his eyes for a moment. "Okay," she finally said softly.

Brandon nodded slightly, then started the water and took off his shirt. Valerie's eyes traced the curve of the muscles in this chest and stomach, unable to tear her gaze away. Brandon reached around her and undid the clasp of her bra, pulling it off slowly. He then gently rolled her panties down her legs. She put her hand on his shoulder and stepped out of them, then stood straight up and met his eyes.

Moving her toward the shower, he opened the curtain and held her hand as she stepped into it. Getting into the shower with his pants on, he found the shampoo and lathered and rinsed her hair, never taking his eyes off of hers.

Taking the wash cloth and soap from her, he started at her neck, then slowly rubbed the cloth over her body, pausing at her chest for a moment. Eyes still never leaving hers, he bent down and kissed the scars he found there. Valerie's heart began beating faster at the touch of his lips.

He moved the washcloth lower, stopping at every scar and kissing it. Tears fell from Valerie's eyes, mixing with the water. Brandon tenderly washed and kissed every inch of her body, then pulled her out of the shower and wrapped her in her towel. He slowly dressed her, again finding her scars and kissing them, then picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

He laid her gently on the bed, then pulled the cover up around her. He left the room for a moment, then came back in with his pajama bottoms on. "Scoot over," he told her, and she did, smiling slightly.

"I'm going to stay here tonight," he told her, watching her eyes. "I'm going to sleep in this bed, and I'm going to hold you all night long. If you want to talk about anything, wake me up. If you get scared, wake me up. Is that okay?"

"Brandon, you don't have to do this," she told him. "I'm a big girl. I've been handling it."

Brandon sighed and kissed her forehead. "Just because you can handle something yourself," he told her, "doesn't mean you should." With that, he leaned over and turned out her light, putting his arms around her.

Lying next to Brandon with his arms around her, Valerie fell into the best sleep she'd had in over a year, finally feeling safe.


	22. Chapter 22

Standing in the doorway of the "new" After Dark building, Brenda surveyed the work already going on. "Brenda!" David called, waving her toward him.

"Hey," she said, reaching him. She looked at the counter he was working on. "You guys are keeping the counter?" she asked, a blush creeping its way up her neck to her face.

"Couldn't get rid of it," David said, winking at her and leaning over the counter to kiss her.

Brenda decided to change the subject before she died of embarrassment. "Where should I go?"

"Brandon said he wanted you and Valerie to start painting those walls over there," David said, pointing towards the back of the building. "He said if you don't mess those up too much, he may let you move on to something else," he told her, smiling and looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

Brenda laughed and rolled her eyes. "Where is he?'

"He's in the back with Dylan and Nat. Steve, too." Brenda started to walk off, but David caught her arm. "Hey Bren," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Yeah?"

David didn't say anything, just slowly lowered his head until their lips touched, never closing his eyes. Brenda wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes, kissing him back. When he pulled away, she felt light headed. "What was that for?" she asked, smiling at him.

David shrugged, smiling slightly. "I like the way you taste," he told her.

Heat curled in Brenda's stomach and she found herself wishing they were alone. His eyes narrowed slightly and his jaw clenched. He lowered his head to kiss her again. "Come on," Brandon groaned from behind her. "Every time I see you two. Silver? How many times have we talked about this?" The spell broken, Brenda and David pulled away from each other. "Do you kids have no control?" Brandon said crossly, _almost _turning his head in time to hide his smile.

"Zip it Brandon," Brenda told him, smiling. David kissed her head, then moved away, getting back to working behind the counter. "I hear you don't have much faith in my ability as a painter," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest and arching her brow.

"I have faith in you as a person, Bren. I have faith in you as an actress. I have faith in you as a student. I even have faith that one day you'll be a wonderful mother," Brandon told her, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her toward the wall. "What I don't have faith in is your ability as a painter."

"We'll see," she told him, poking his in the side.

Brandon looked around. "Where's Val?"

"She was going to unpack the last couple of boxes for the kitchen. I offered to stay and help her or just do it later, but she said she needed a few minutes alone." Brenda looked at him. "How do you think she's doing? Did you talk to her last night?"

Brandon shifted uncomfortably. "We talked for a little while," he told her.

Brenda studied his face. "What did y'all talk about?" she asked suspiciously.

"Stuff," he said, bending down to open the paint.

Brenda stared at the back of his head. "Stuff," she repeated.

Brandon shrugged, keeping his back to her. "It wasn't a big deal.'

Brenda didn't say anything for a moment, watching him stir the paint. "Is that why you didn't come home?" she asked him. "Because you and Valerie were talking about "stuff"?"

Brandon looked up at her, frowning. "Don't read anything into it, Brenda," he warned. "Nothing happened."

Brenda shrugged, deciding to drop the subject for now. "I like that color," she told him, nodding her head toward the paint.

"Yeah, Steve picked it out. I didn't like it to start with, but I think it's going to look good."

Brenda sighed. "I wish Donna was here," she told him sadly. "She's so amazing with colors and interior design."

"Did you talk to her last night?"

"I did," she said, nodding. "She sounds so happy. She really likes Troy, that guy I was telling you about." Brenda was silent for a moment. "I'm really proud of her for following her dream." Brandon nodded. "I'm proud of you, too," she told him, reaching out to squeeze his arm. "I know that you've always wanted to own a part of the Peach Pit. And now you do."

"Yeah, me and about twelve other people," he said, but he was smiling. "It is pretty sweet, isn't it?" he asked her.

"It is," she agreed. "She pulled her hair up in a ponytail. "Time for me to get started?"

"Yes," he told her, showing her where her brushes and drop clothes were. "Try not to destroy anything, eh?"

"I'll try," she said drolly. "Show Val where I am when she gets here."

"I will," he said, nodding at her and walking away. "Good luck!" he called over his shoulder.

"Good luck my butt," she said under her breath, picking up a roller. The color was even prettier on the walls she decided after she'd painted for a few minutes. Someone turned music on- probably David- and she danced while she painted.

"Brenda," Steve said from behind her and she turned to look at him.

"Hey Steve!" she said, smiling at her friend. "What's up?"

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure," she told him, dipping her roller in paint and rolling it on the wall. "Hit me."

"I've been trying to convince Andrea to come to a KEG party for a while now but she won't do it. I was wondering…is there any way you can come to the one tomorrow night? She might come if she knew more people," he explained.

"David and I were going to go out to eat, but we could always come to the party later," she told him. "Maybe we could pick Andrea up on our way there?"

Steve kissed Brenda on the forehead and smiled. "Thanks Bren, I knew I could count on you."

"Hey Steve," she called to him as he walked away.

"Yeah?" he said, looking at her.

"Have you talked to anyone else about it?"

Steve shook his head. "No, why?"

"Well, I was thinking," Brenda said, dipping her roller again, "maybe we could all come?"

"Who is "we all"?"

Brenda shrugged. "Me, David, Andrea, Brandon, Valerie, Dylan…" she looked at him. "Kelly?"

Steve watched her for a moment, then nodded. "I'll take care of it."

Brenda nodded to him and went back to painting, smiling. Brandon had been watching them and as soon as he was sure Brenda was concentrating solely on painting he walked toward David. "Hey, Silver, I need to talk to you about something."

"Yeah?" David asked him, not looking up from the wires he was working on. "What's that?"

Brandon waited until David looked up at him to answer. "It's about you and Bren," he said.

David frowned and slowly stood up. "What about us?"

Brandon ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I just want to make sure you guys are being careful."

David put his hands on the counter and watched Brandon. "Careful?"

"Look, we joke about it, but I know you're sleeping with my sister." David nodded, waiting. "I just want to make sure she's not going to end up pregnant or worse."

"Worse?" David looked over at Brenda. "If you're trying to get around to asking me if I have a disease, why don't you just say it?"

Brandon grimaced. "That's not what…" he stopped, then started again. "Do you?" he asked the other man, staring into his eyes.

"No," David said, annoyed, "I don't. We're not little kids, Brandon."

Brandon nodded. "She's my sister, man."

"When we started seeing each other, there was a time we didn't use protection." Brandon made a face. "Hey bro, you started this conversation," David reminded him. "We talked about it and decided to go to the doctor, together, and be tested." He held up his hand. "Before you go getting angry about me taking a chance, I know. It was a mistake. But I _had _been tested. The only reason I got tested again was for Brenda's benefit." He looked over at her, then back at Brandon. "She decided to get on birth control, and we both tested negative for any and all diseases."

Brandon rubbed his face with his hands. "Thanks man," he told David sincerely. "I appreciate you looking out for my sister."

David held Brandon's gaze. "I know that after seeing the things Dylan put her through you'd be worried someone else was going to hurt her. I did hurt Donna, right?" He leaned closer to Brandon. "All of that was the past. I'm not going to hurt her. I'm not Dylan, and I'm not the same guy that couldn't handle a relationship with Donna. People change."

Brandon nodded, then smiled at the other man. "I guess Steve and I won't have to dig your grave after all."

David cocked his head back. "I guess not." He looked down at the wires, then sighed. "I get it man. She's your sister and you're worried. Just consider this one thing you don't have to worry about and concentrate on the thousand other things she does in a day that's cause for concern."

Brandon grinned. "You have a point." He looked at the wires. "Okay, Silver, get back to it."

David grinned back at him. "I can't believe this is ours."

"Me either," Brandon told him, looking at the work going on. "Me either." He nodded to the other man, then walked off feeling good about his sisters relationship for the first time in a long time. Maybe now he could worry about one of his own. As soon as he had that thought, Valerie walked in the building. Brandon groaned and started worrying.


	23. Chapter 23

Brenda got out of the shower and walked toward her room, drying her hair. Her arms ached from all of the painting she'd done earlier. Valerie had turned out to be a much better painter than Brenda, for which she was grateful. She found David sitting in the floor beside her bed, head thrown back and eyes closed. She knew he was even more tired than she was; he'd worked longer and harder than she'd had to.

"David," she said, leaning down to shake his shoulder gently, "it's time for your shower."

David groaned and opened his eyes. "Five more minutes," he told her, closing them again.

Brenda laughed. "It's not time for school," she told him, "it's time for a shower so you can go to bed."

"Am I staying here?" he asked her, opening one eye to look at her.

"You can," she told him.

"Think Brandon will care?"

"Do you think I care whether he does or not?" she asked him, smiling.

David nodded. "Good point." He got up slowly, groaning again. "I still don't want to wake up dead." He eyed her. "What are you wearing?" he asked hoarsely.

Brenda looked down at her pj's and back at him. "My t-shirt?"

David swallowed. "Is that what you wear to sleep in?"

"Yeah," she said, confused.

He headed toward the door, looking back at her. "I don't think I'll mind waking up dead after all," he told her.

Brenda laughed started getting her stuff ready for the next day. She hoped to hear from Randolph tomorrow. She'd been ignoring the sick feeling she had in her stomach for two days now; she couldn't figure out why she hadn't heard anything yet.

"Do your arms hurt as bad as mine do?" Valerie asked from the doorway, toweling her own hair dry.

Brenda moaned. "I can barely lift them!" she sat on the bed and nodded so Valerie would sit as well. "Tomorrow will be awful, but I figure we'll get the hang of it by the end of next week."

"So much painting to do, so little time," Val sighed. "I used Brandon's bathroom; he's not home yet, but I don't think he'd care."

"Sorry about that. I should have asked you if it was okay for David to take a shower."

Valerie shrugged. "It's no problem." She looked at the door. "Where do you think Brandon is?" she asked casually.

Brenda turned her head so Valerie couldn't see her smile. "He probably stayed to talk to Dylan and Nat. You know how anal he is about details."

Valerie nodded. "I noticed Dylan talking to you today. What was that about?"

Brenda frowned. "He was talking to me about paint, actually."

"You seem disappointed," Valerie said, watching her friends face.

"I don't know what I am," Brenda admitted. "I'm so crazy about David, Val. He's so funny and sweet and sexy. I feel like a different person when I'm with him." She looked at Val pleadingly. "That's good, right?"

"That is good," Val told her. "What about how you feel about Dylan?"

"I miss him," Brenda said, putting her head back on her pillow. "I miss just talking to him. Different colors of paint became vitally important to me because that's what Dylan wanted to talk about." She closed her eyes. "How can I care so much about two men who are so different?"

"I don't know sweetie," Val told her.

Brenda looked at her. "How are you doing? I haven't asked you lately. I know the move and the job and all of this is a lot to take in."

"I am so glad that it's a lot to take in," Val told her. "It keeps me from dwelling on everything that's gone wrong lately. Finally things are looking up."

Brenda had decided to not become involved in Brandon and Val's relationship, regardless of its status, so she didn't ask the questions she was dying to ask. Instead she said, "There's a party going on at the KEG house tomorrow night, I'm not sure if Brandon talked to you about it." Valerie shook her head no. "Steve and his buddies are throwing it and Steve asked us all to come." She smiled and wiggled her eyebrows. "He's trying to get Andrea to come and thinks she will if we're all there."

"Told you," Valerie said, grinning.

"You did," Brenda said, smiling. "Anyway, you want to come?"

Valerie thought about it for a moment. "I guess that would be okay. Are all of you guys going?"

"As far as I know."

"Brandon going?"

Brenda smiled. "As far as I know. I think Kelly may even be coming."

"Ah, the infamous Kelly. Can't wait to meet her," Valerie said, making a face.

Brenda laughed. "Be nice."

"I'll try," Valerie told her. "Only because I love you."

"Thank you."

Valerie stood up. "Is David staying tonight?"

"Yes ma'am. He's worried Brandon will sneak in in the middle of the night and kill him."

Valerie laughed. "I don't think he has to worry. Brandon will probably be so tired tonight he'll sleep like the dead." She walked toward the door. "Good night, Bren. Thanks…for everything."

Brenda smiled at her. "Good night Val." She closed her eyes, making a mental list of things to do tomorrow. After a only few moments, she was asleep.

Feeling hot lips against her thighs, Brenda slowly awakened and opened her eyes. David's hands pushed the t shirt she was wearing up and his lips moved over her stomach to her breasts. Brenda moaned and grabbed his hair. "David," she whispered.

David didn't say anything, just moved up further to kiss her. Their tongue's met and Brenda rocked her hips up to meet his. Grinding together, David kissed down her neck, biting her soft skin lightly. Brenda suddenly rose, pushing David to the side. He was only wearing his boxers and her eyes caressed his body. Moving down, she smiled at him. "What are you doing?" he asked huskily.

"I like the way you taste, too," she told him, pulling his boxers down. He sprang free and she rubbed him with her hands, watching his face. She slowly bent down and licked him, causing him to groan and fall back on the bed. Smiling to herself, she took him into her mouth, moving with deliberate slowness. David didn't say anything, just clenched his jaw and his fists, his breath coming out in low hisses. She kept taking him deeper into her mouth, her hand caressing him.

After a few minutes he looked at her. "Bren, please," he begged her, looking into her eyes. Brenda nodded and rose, straddling his waist. She slowly lowered herself onto him, letting him stretch and fill her.

It took all of his willpower to not move and let Brenda lead. His whole body was tensed and ready to explode but as he watched her, he realized she wanted to be in control. She slowly rocked her hips against him, her head thrown back and eyes closed. David reached up and pulled the t shirt off, then kneaded her breasts, leaning up to lick one, then the other. Brenda moaned and began moving faster, now looking into his eyes. David kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and let her ride him. His hand moved between them and he rubbed her, taking her by surprise and causing her to climax immediately. As she tightened around him, David rolled her on her back and began pumping into her, his fingers still touching her. She felt the heat build again, faster and harder this time. Her body clenched and she screamed before David covered her mouth with his, finding his release at the same time.

Dazed, David moved beside her, breathing hard. Brenda threw her leg over his body and put her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. "That was worth dying for," David murmured against her hair.

Brenda laughed softly, kissing his jaw. "Agreed," she said, snuggling back beside him. She yawned and looked over at the clock. "Good night David," she whispered, closing her eyes.

"'Night Bren," he told her, rubbing her back. As she fell asleep he thought about watching her and Dylan talking today at the After Dark. He'd been surprised at the twinge of jealousy he'd felt and hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since. He'd told Brenda that he was okay with whatever she could give him, but he was now worried he had started caring too much. And if he had…what should he do about it?


	24. Chapter 24

Brenda was still on edge. She'd not heard from Randolph; she'd even gone to the theater to see him but no one was there. She'd gone to all of her classes but couldn't remember a single thing anyone had said to her in any of them. She walked back and sat on the bench outside the theater and stared at the ground, lost in thought.

"Hey, Bren," Dylan said, sitting down beside her.

"Hey," she said, looking up at him. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "What are you doing over here?"

Dylan shrugged. "I was just walking around, killing time. My last class was canceled and there's really no point in going back home."

Brenda nodded. "I've been killing time today too," she told him, sighing. "I've actually had class though." She looked at him. "I still haven't heard back from Randolph."

"He's in London," Dylan told her, a frown on his face. "Didn't anyone tell you that?"

"What?" Brenda had realized there was no one at the theater, but she'd thought they'd just moved rehearsals to a different location or something.

"There was some sort of family emergency and he had to go to London. He'll be back Monday." At her questioning look he continued, "My lit teacher was talking about it a couple of days ago."

"How come I didn't know about this?" Brenda groaned. "I've been so freaked out. Shouldn't someone have called me?"

"Yeah," he said, looking at her. "Maybe they called at your parents and left a message or something."

Brenda felt like an idiot. She hadn't even checked at the house. She smiled at Dylan, relieved. "Thank you, Dylan. You just saved my weekend."

Dylan smiled back. "Happy to help," he told her.

His smile hit her in the chest. It was the same as it had always been…and she had always loved it. She looked away and cleared her throat. "How are you doing?" she asked him.

Dylan looked across campus. "Same as always," he told her. She looked at him, brow arched. "Surviving."

"Are you coming to the KEG party tonight?"

"Brandon asked me." Dylan groaned. "Do I have to?"

Brenda laughed and pushed him a little. "Yes. It's for a very good cause," she informed him.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" he asked her, smiling.

She leaned closer to him, eyes wide. "Steve likes Andrea!"

Dylan laughed and made a face. "What?"

"Hey," Brenda said, pouting. "It's true!"

"Okay," Dylan told her, raising his hands and laughing. He thought about it for a moment. "I guess it makes sense."

"It does," Brenda said with a nod. She watched him. "Kelly is going to be there," she said softly.

Dylan looked at her. "Kelly and I are friends," he told her. "She came over the other day and we talked for a while." He shrugged. "Everything has been laid out and we're trying to move on."

Brenda hesitated, licking her lips and looking into his eyes. "And how's that going?" she asked. "The moving on?"

Dylan's eyes moved to her lips and then back; he stared at her, not saying anything for a moment. He raised his hand and brushed a lock of hair from her face. "I'm not doing so well," he told her softly. "I can't stop thinking about you, Bren." Brenda closed her eyes and turned her head away. "I'm sorry," he said, getting up to leave.

Brenda grabbed his hand. "Don't," she said, tugging on it. "Dylan, don't just walk away."

Dylan ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what else to do," he told her. "I can't be around you without wanting you, Brenda. You and David," he paused, then looked at her. "You're two of my best friends." He squeezed her hand. "I can tell you're happy when you're with him."

"I was happy when I was with you, too," Brenda told him, eyes welling with tears.

"All I've ever done is made you cry," he told her, watching a tear fall slowly down her face. His thumb caught it, wiping it off. "You deserve so much more than that. So much more than me."

"I'm just so confused," she told him. "I don't know what I want or what I need." She stood up and looked at him. "I miss you," she whispered. "I miss everything about you. I miss the way you smile and I miss your stupid hair and I miss your kisses." She looked away, taking a breath.

"My stupid hair?" Dylan teased, trying to lighten the mood even though her words had almost dropped him to his knees.

"Don't joke," she told him, looking at him again. "This isn't something to joke about."

Dylan's face grew serious. "Tell me what to do, Bren. If you want me to stay away from you, I will. If you want to ignore me, I'll go along with it." He stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. "If you want to be with me," he told her softly, "just say the word."

Brenda rested her head on his chest, tears slipping down her face. "I'm so confused," she told him.

He rubbed her back. "I've thought about leaving," he told her. "Just packing up and moving to a different state or something. Every time I make up my mind to go, I think of you and can't imagine being so far away."

He sighed and hugged her tightly, resting his cheek against the top of her head. They stood like that for a moment, then she pulled away, wiping the tears from her face. "I guess I'll see you tonight," she told him, trying to smile.

He looked at her, face still serious. "I guess so," he told her.

"Bye Dylan," she said, turning to walk off.

"Bye Bren," he said softly, watching her go. Long after she was out of sight he stared after her. He had messed up and now he was paying the price for it. He thought about the night ahead; a KEG party was never his idea of a good time, and the thought of watching Brenda and David together all night made him want to hit something. It appeared, though, that Steve needed him; to the KEG party he would go.

As he walked toward his next class he thought about what Brenda had said about Steve and Andrea. Smiling to himself, he acknowledged that stranger things had happened.


	25. Chapter 25

If she hadn't been in the back of a moving vehicle, Andrea would make a run for it. Going to the KEG party was the last thing she wanted to do and she couldn't believe she'd let herself get talked to it. Brenda had started several conversations when she and David had picked her up, but Andrea was too nervous to say much of anything and eventually Brenda had stopped trying.

Andrea had been as surprised as everyone else when she found out David and Brenda were dating. She'd never thought about Brenda with anyone but Dylan; they were like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together. Seeing her with David now, though, she noted their ease with one another and the chemistry they shared. As with Brenda and Dylan, Andrea had never really thought about David with anyone but Donna.

Holding hands, Brenda said something to David and they both laughed. Andrea felt a twinge of jealousy. She wanted that. She wanted nothing more than to have someone to talk to and laugh with. Someone to hold her hand. She'd spent so much time day dreaming about Brandon Walsh she hadn't realized her life was flying by or how lonely she truly was. She wasn't sure what happened to make her realize they were never going to be together but it had been a brutal awakening. She'd had chances to be with Brandon- several, in fact. But it had never felt right. And that's really the only thing that matters in a relationship; how it feels.

Andrea turned to look out the window. She appreciated Steve looking out for her and trying to help her make a life for herself. He had really been there for her, so the very least she could do is come to one of his parties. She'd heard about them from people in her classes and never had any trouble picturing Steve doing the crazy things they said he did. He wasn't afraid of anything and Andrea loved that about him. Lately, she'd begun to realize there were a lot of things about him she loved.

"That dress is fantastic," Brenda told her, turning around to look at her. "Where did you get it?"

"Goodwill."

Brenda smiled. "You'll have to take me to the one you go to," she said. "Help me pick out some stuff."

Andrea nodded and smiled, looking back out the window. The dress really was great, she thought. A simply cut black dress that hugged her figure and ended well above her knees, Andrea had been worried about wearing it. She'd finally decided that if she was going to go to this party, she was going to do it right.

"Have you talked to Kelly?" Brenda asked David.

He shook his head. "No, Steve called her about the party. He said she was coming." He took his eyes off of the road and looked at her for a second. "You nervous?"

Brenda smiled at him. "I'm not sure what I am," she admitted.

David brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "I'll be here."

Andrea looked away again. She felt like she was intruding upon a private moment. Brenda tried so hard to always include Andrea in everything; Andrea never had the heart to tell her that she always felt like an outsider looking in.

They got to campus and David parked the car. He ran into a friend of his from the radio station and Brenda kissed him, telling him they'd see him at the party. "Let's go!" she told Andrea excitedly, putting her arm through Andrea's.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Andrea asked her as they walked.

"David?" Brenda asked her. Andrea nodded. "Yeah, I do," she said, smiling.

"You guys are good together," Andrea told her. "I was skeptical at first," she admitted with a small laugh, "but now I can see that you really are."

"I think we were all skeptical," Brenda said, laughing. "David and I were too."

"Is Dylan going to be here?" A frown replaced Brenda's smile. "I'm sorry," Andrea said hurriedly. "I didn't mean-"

"No, it's fine," Brenda assured her. "I ran into him on campus today and he said he'll be coming."

Andrea looked at her. "Is this whole thing as weird for you guys as it is for all of us?"

Brenda smiled. "It's weirder, trust me."

"What about Kelly? Are things okay with you guys?" Andrea and Kelly had never been close; when Andrea found out that Kelly was dating Dylan, she'd been angry on Brenda's behalf.

Brenda watched her for a moment as they walked. "Are you asking me all of these questions so you don't have to think about the party?" she asked suspiciously.

Andrea sighed and nodded. "It's possible," she told her friend.

"Andrea, it's going to be great," Brenda assured her. "We'll dance funny, meet new people, beat Steve at pool…It will be fun."

Andrea nodded but she wasn't convinced. "Where's your friend Valerie?"

"She was still working at the After Dark so Brandon is going to bring her when he comes." Brenda rolled her eyes. "I never realized how much alike they are when they're working on something."

"Everyone will be here but Donna," Andrea said, missing her friend.

Brenda nodded. "I wish she were here," she said. "Did you get an invitation to her Debutante ball?"

Andrea smiled. "I did. Are you guys going to go?"

"I talked to her on the phone last night and she said that she's not really expecting any of us to come all the way out there for a ball but she wanted to invite us anyway. I think we should all try to go; surprise her."

"Another party," Andrea groaned.

"You'll be an old pro before you know it," Brenda told her. "So…have you talked to Steve today?"

Andrea nodded. "Yeah, we had lunch together." She looked at Brenda. "Is it normal to want to smack a person upside the head every time he opens his mouth?"

Brenda laughed. "When it's Steve," she said, "it's perfectly normal."

They walked up to the KEG house and found the party in full swing. People milled around the yard, drinking and dancing to the music pouring out of the windows. "How are we supposed to find our friends?" Andrea asked, horrified.

Brenda smiled and took her hand. "We just stick together and float around," she told her.

The inside of the house was insane. People were everywhere, dancing and making out. Andrea and Brenda bumped around the room, stopping every now and then to talk to people they knew. Brenda explained to Andrea that they were headed toward the kitchen, since that was where Steve probably was.

Andrea walked in the kitchen and stopped, staring at him. He was standing on the table, shirt off, wrestling with another KEG boy. They were shining and Andrea realized that they had some sort of oil on their bodies. Brenda cheered Steve on, laughing and clapping. Andrea couldn't stop staring at him; his body had changed in the past year. He was stronger, bigger. His arm muscles were as big as Andrea's thighs. Her heart began a slow thud in her chest.

The other guy pushed Steve back and he almost fell off of the table. Andrea's breath caught in her throat and she moved forward. Steve regained his balance and pushed the other guy forward. The crowd was deafening, screaming Steve's name, then the other guys name. Andrea wanted them to stop; she was afraid someone was going to get hurt. Being honest with herself, she knew she was worried about _Steve _getting hurt.

After a few more minutes, Steve made a final push and knocked the other guy off of the table. Throwing his arms up in the air, he grinned and made a circle. His eyes rested on Andrea, and he beckoned her forward. She moved closer to him hesitantly, reaching the table. Steve leaned down and pulled her up, lifting her as if she weighed no more than a feather. The crowd howled as he bent his head and kissed her deeply, holding her head to his with his hand. Pulling away, he smiled down at her. "I won," he said.

Andrea blinked up at him, still shocked. Color flooded her cheeks as some of the people in the kitchen whistled. "Steve," she said, horrified.

Steve grinned at her and jumped down off of the table, holding his arms up to help her down. Andrea let him help her, then turned and searched for Brenda. "Brenda!" she called. She had every intention of leaving. Steve was obviously drunk, though he's promised her he would drink at all. She blinked hot tears back. She should have known.

"Hey," Steve said, grabbing her hand. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving," she said, not looking at him. "I should have never come."

"Wait," Steve said, pulling her towards him and forcing her to look at him. "Andrea, what's wrong?"

"You told me you weren't going to drink," she said, mortified at the tears.

Steve looked down at her. "I haven't been drinking," he said, confused.

Andrea blinked at him. "You haven't been drinking?"

"No. Why would you think I had?"

"Oh, I don't know," Andrea said. "The wrestling, the yelling…" she looked away. "The kiss."

Steve watched her. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you," he told her. "I didn't mean to." He looked into her eyes. "Don't go."

"Woo, Sanders, that was some match," Dylan said from behind Andrea, slapping Steve on the shoulder. He looked at his hand and made a face, then rubbed it on another man's shoulder. He looked at Andrea and smiled. "You make a nice ring girl, Zuck."

Andrea rolled her eyes and laughed, relief coursing through her. Someone called for Steve and he waved them off. "Go ahead, Steve," she told him. "Dylan can keep me company for a few minutes." She felt like she needed a few minutes away from him after that kiss. She still felt his lips on hers.

Steve nodded and went into the other room. Dylan was watching Andrea, smiling. "What?" she said defensively.

Dylan shrugged. "Nothing."

Andrea blushed. "Did you see Bren? She was with me during the…whatever that was."

"I did," Dylan told her. "David came in and pulled her out to the dance floor."

"Oh Dylan, I'm sorry," Andrea said. "I shouldn't have mentioned her."

Dylan made a face and looked down. "We're all friends, Andrea. People are going to mention her. I'm going to be around her and David." He sighed. "I'm just going to have to get used to it."

Andrea put her arm through his, focusing on his problems rather than her own. "Want to dance?"

Dylan smiled. "I thought you'd never ask," he told her. They moved to the main room where people were dancing.

"I'm not a very good dancer," Andrea warned him.

"It's okay. I'm good enough for both of us," he told her cockily.

Andrea knew he was trying to make her laugh and it worked. They danced for a few minutes, Andrea forgetting to be nervous after the first couple. Dylan really was a very good dancer, and he made it seems so easy. She caught sight of David and Brenda a couple of times and managed to keep Dylan's back to them.

"I know what you're doing," he told her.

"Dancing terribly?" she said, laughing.

"Look at us," he said, twirling her around. "I'm trying to protect you, you're trying to protect me."

"That's what friends do, right?"

"That's what friends do," he agreed.

The music slowed and Steve came up to them. "Can I cut in?" he asked.

Dylan bowed and smiled at them. "I think it's time for some punch."

Andrea watched him leave, then looked at Steve. "I feel so bad for him."

Steve nodded. "I felt bad for Brenda when Dylan and Kelly got together, too."

Andrea sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, moving slowly with the music. "It just doesn't feel right. Any of it." As much as she liked David and thought that he and Brenda made each other happy, Andrea couldn't help but believe it was always supposed to be Dylan and Brenda.

"This feels pretty good," Steve said, and her attention snapped back to reality.

She stared at him for a moment. "It does," she finally agreed. They didn't talk for a few minutes, just dancing. Andrea's mind was flooding with all sorts of thoughts and questions.

"Stop," Steve told her.

"Stop what?" she said, looking up at him.

"Stop thinking so much," he said, looking down at her. "I'm really glad you finally came."

"I am too," she said. Staring into his eyes, she decided to do what he asked and stop thinking. She leaned up and kissed him without any hesitation.

Steve pulled her closer to him and kissed her back. They stopped moving, just stood together in the middle of the floor. Andrea forgot where they were and all of the reasons kissing Steve Sanders wasn't a good idea. When he wrapped his strong arms around her, she realized she was in the only place she wanted to be.

"I show up a little late and look what happens," Brandon said, walking up behind them. "The whole world turns upside down."

Andrea pulled away from Steve but he kept looking into her eyes. "Go away, Walsh," he told Brandon, not looking at him.

Andrea smiled and looked over at Brandon. Steve sighed and glared at his friend. "Hey Valerie," Andrea told the other woman.

Valerie smiled. "Hey Andrea," she said, winking.

"I need to go to the ladies room," she told the group. She again looked at Valerie. "Will you come with me?"

"Sure," Valerie told her. She looked at Brandon. "I'll find you in a few minutes, okay?"

Brandon nodded and watched the two women leave. He looked at Steve. "So…"

"So?" Steve asked him arms crossed.

"So you and Andrea, huh?"

"Is there a problem with that?" Steve asked him.

Brandon held his arms out. "Hey man, not for me."

Steve nodded. "I wondered, you know," he looked toward where the girls had gone, "if it would be a problem with you."

Brandon shook his head. "I just want Andrea to be happy." He looked at his friend. "She looked pretty happy to me."

Steve smiled. "I have that effect on women."

Brandon rolled his eyes. "Have you seen Bren?"

"Yeah, she and David were dancing just a few minutes ago. Dylan is here too." He made a face.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, really. The whole thing is just odd." He shrugged. "Have you seen Kelly?"

Brandon made a face. "No. But you're right about all of this being odd. I don't know what I'm supposed to say to any of them." He sighed. "I wish we could just go back to how things were before the whole Brenda/Dylan/Kelly mess."

Steve nodded, then smiled. "Valerie is looking good tonight."

"She is," Brandon agreed.

"Come on, bro, fill me in. I've seen the way you two look at each other."

Brandon shook his head. "There's nothing I can tell you, Steve. She's going through a really hard time and needs a friend." He shrugged.

"You're killing me Walsh," Steve groaned.

"Who's dying?" Dylan asked, walking up to them.

"Brandon here is telling me that he and Valerie are just friends," Steve told Dylan.

Dylan raised his eyebrows and took a drink of his punch. "Yeah, well, I just walked in on Steve and Andrea making out on the dance floor," Brandon said.

Dylan chuckled. "You two have it bad," he told them.

Steve grinned. "I'm okay with that," he said. Someone called for him and he groaned. "Be right back." He winked at them. "Being a party God is hard work."

"Andrea and Steve," Dylan said to Brandon, watching him walk away.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?'

"Maybe not," Dylan told his friend. "Stranger things have happened." He motioned toward the other side of the room and Brandon saw David and Brenda dancing and laughing. "He's good for her," Dylan said, watching them.

Brandon watched them too. "I don't know man," Brandon told him. "She's smiling now, but something's not right."

"Hey guys," Kelly said from behind them. They turned around and found her with a tall dark haired man.

"Hey Kelly," they both told her.

"This is James," she said, introducing them to the guy with her.

"Nice to meet you man," Brandon said, shaking his hand. Dylan nodded to him, introducing himself.

"Where's Andrea?" she asked, looking around.

"She went to the ladies room," Brandon told her, smiling.

"What's so funny?" she asked, noticing that Dylan was grinning too.

"Nothing," Dylan said, still grinning.

Kelly rolled her eyes and looked at James. "I'm going to go find Andrea, okay?" James nodded and she looked at the other two. "You guys behave yourselves, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Brandon said. When she left he looked at James. "I think we have a class together," he told the man.

"We do," James said. "History of the English language."

"Ah," Brandon said. "I hate that class."

"I do too," James said, smiling.

"Is that how you and Kelly met?" Brandon asked him. "School?"

"No, we've known each other for quite a while. I lived in Beverly Hills until I was fourteen and then moved to Miami. I moved back here for school."

Dylan had been staring at the other man, trying to figure out why he looked familiar. "Jimmy?" Dylan said, shocked. "Jimmy Reed?"

James laughed. "I wondered if you'd ever remember me."

Dylan hugged him. "I didn't realize it was you, man. You look so different!"

James shrugged. "I've grown a foot and a half and lost the glasses," he told Dylan. "It's understandable."

"So you two were friends?" Brandon asked.

"He was my partner in crime for a while," Dylan said. "Jimmy Reed," he said, smiling. "It's good to see you man."

James nodded. "You going to CU?"

"Yeah," Dylan told him. "I've been thinking about taking a break, though, traveling for a bit."

Brenda gasped behind them. "I thought you said you weren't going to leave?"

Dylan closed his eyes for a moment, then turned to look at her. "Hey Bren."

Brenda stared at him for a moment, then looked at Brandon. "Where's Andrea?"

"Ladies room," Brandon told her. "Val and Kelly are both with her."

"Great," Brenda said, turning to walk away.

"Brenda," Dylan called to her.

"Let it go man," Steve told him, walking up and patting him on the shoulder. "No more serious stuff tonight." He winked at Dylan. "It's time to party!" he yelled. The people dancing held up their drinks and yelled back.


	26. Chapter 26

"This is ridiculous," Andrea told Val, still standing in line at the bathroom. "We're never going to get in there."

"So…" Val said, trying to hide her grin. "You having a good time?"

"Maybe," Andrea told her. At Val's stifled giggle she blew out a breath. "Okay, yes. I enjoy kissing Steve."

"You've been kissing Steve?" Kelly asked walking up to them. "Steve _Sanders_?"

Andrea blushed. "Hey Kelly."

"Kelly, huh?" Val said, looking the other woman up and down.

"Oh my gosh Andrea, you and _Steve_?" Kelly said, mouth open.

"Is there something wrong with that Kelly?" Andrea asked, slightly offended.

"No, of course not. It's just so…unexpected," Kelly told her.

"For you and me both," Andrea told her. She looked at Valerie. "Valerie, this is Kelly Taylor. Kelly, this is Brenda and Brandon's friend from Minnesota, Valerie Malone. She's been helping the guys at the After Dark with Brenda."

Kelly looked at Valerie, taking in the tight dress, red lips and curled hair. She disliked her on sight. "Steve told me they were fixing up the old pharmacy building. I'm surprised Dylan would get into any sort of partnership with David."

"And why's that?" Valerie asked her.

Kelly shrugged. "Brenda."

"They're big boys," Val told her.

Kelly arched her brow at Valerie. "Have your eye on a specific one?"

"Maybe," Valerie said. "Is there something wrong with that Kelly?" she said, intentionally repeating Andreas' earlier words.

Kelly snorted. "The only ones left are Brandon and Dylan. Good luck."

"Good luck with what?" Brenda asked, walking up.

"Your friend Valerie was just telling me she has her eye on one of the guys," Kelly told Brenda.

"Yeah," Brenda said, nodding. She looked at Andrea, dismissing the conversation. "Nice work, Andrea," she said, laughing.

"That's what I told her," Valerie said, grinning.

Andrea put her hands to her face. "You guys are making me blush!"

"Where did David go?" Valerie asked Brenda.

Brenda rolled her eyes. "Do you hear this?" she asked, pointing up. "This music is David."

"Sounds good!" Valerie told her.

"Since we're all together, I wanted to ask you about something," Brenda told them. "I've already mentioned it to Andrea." She looked at Kelly. "Did you get your invite to Donnas' ball?"

Kelly nodded. "I didn't think I was going to get one," she admitted.

"Donna doesn't think any of us are going to come, but I think we should. We can all bring a person with us if we want, or we can all just go together as a group."

"You want to go to Donnas' ball with David?" Kelly asked her. "Are you kidding me?"

Brenda glared at Kelly. "David and I have discussed it and we're going to support Donna, not as a date. I think it's a good idea for her to know how important she is to us."

"I'm not sure I should go," Val told them. "I've never even met her."

"You'll meet her there and you'll love her," Brenda said.

"I think it's a good idea," Andrea told her. "I'd like to go."

"Good," Brenda said. "I'll talk it over with Brandon and David tonight. Andrea, can you talk to Steve about it?"

"Sure."

"What about Dylan?" Kelly asked.

"Do you want to talk to him about it?" Brenda asked her.

"It doesn't matter," Kelly said.

Brenda shrugged. "One of us will. Okay then, that's settled."

They'd finally reached the end of the line and Andrea was able to go into the bathroom. "Brenda, can I talk to you for a minute?" Kelly asked her.

Brenda nodded, then followed her. "What's up?" she asked when they'd walked into the backyard.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I tried out for Maggie," Kelly told her. She sighed. "I only did it to upset you, and I realize now how stupid that was of me."

"Thank you, Kelly," Brenda said. "Look, I know you're upset about Dylan…"

Kelly held up her hands. "I've known since the moment you two met that he was in love with you. It was stupid of me to think that he could love me like that."

"I hurt Dylan," Brenda admitted. "But what you two did…I didn't think I would ever get over it. I still don't know that I am."

Kelly nodded. "I am sorry, Brenda. I didn't mean to hurt you…but I didn't really care that I did." She shrugged, tears in her eyes. "What does that say about me?"

"I don't know," Brenda told her honestly. She watched some other people dancing for a moment. "I want to be friends with you, Kelly. I just can't handle you trying to hurt me all of the time."

"I want to be friends too," Kelly told her. "I'm just not sure how to be a good one."

Brenda smiled at her. "We'll work something out."

Andrea got out of the restroom and found Valerie standing at the door. "Where did Brenda and Kelly go?"

"To talk," Valerie told her, sighing. "I don't like her."

Andrea laughed at Valerie's openness. "Some people don't," she told her. She shrugged. "She just takes some getting used to."

As they walked back toward the guys Valerie chewed on her lip. "She seemed pretty interested in whether or not I had my eyes on Brandon or Dylan."

"Yeah, I noticed that. I don't think she's over Dylan, and she always had a thing for Brandon."

Valerie stopped walking. "Kelly always had a thing for Brandon?"

Andrea turned around and looked at her. "Yeah. Brandon said he thought of her more like a sister, though, and they never dated."

Valerie started walking again, frowning. She wondered if Brandon thought of her as a sister. Andrea was watching her. "What?" she said.

"You have a thing for Brandon," Andrea accused with a smile.

Valerie shook her head. "No, that would be silly. I'm sure he thinks of me like a sister too."

"I guess we'll see," Andrea said as they got closer to the guys.

"Andrea!" Steve called when they got closer. "You owe me another dance; that one was cut short," he told her, winking. Andrea laughed and took his hand, letting her pull him out onto the dance floor.

Valerie and the guys watched them for a moment. "Where's Brenda and Kelly?' Brandon asked.

"Kelly wanted to talk to Brenda alone for a minute," Valerie told him, shrugging.

"Sounds like fun," Dylan said, making a face at Brandon. "Hey, Valerie, this is Jimmy Reed. He's here with Kelly."

"Hi," Valerie said, shaking his hand. He was gorgeous, but Valerie had come to expect that in men around here. She looked at Brandon. "Want to dance?"

Brandon rocked back on his heels. "Sorry," he told her. "I don't dance."

Valerie took his hand and pulled him toward the dance floor. "I don't take no for an answer."

Brandon looked at Dylan for help but Dylan was laughing into his cup. Even Jimmy was smiling. Giving in, he followed Val out on the floor. "Val," he said when they stopped, "I'm serious. I really can't dance."

Valerie moved to the music, dancing around Brandon, somehow making it seem as if he were dancing too. When she rubbed her body down the front of him he grabbed her arms and looked into her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Dancing," Valerie said with a sly smile.

The music changed to something slower and she looked at him. Dropping his hands to her waist, he pulled her closer. "Now this," he told her lowly, "I can handle."

Valerie smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body closer to his. "I have a question," she said, looking up at him.

Brandon looked down into her eyes, then moved to her lips. Valerie's breath caught and her heart raced. "I may have an answer."

"Do you think of me like a sister?"

His eyes caught and held hers as they danced. She was so beautiful, her face flushed from dancing. He leaned down and brushed her lips with his. "No," he told her, lifting his head back up. "I don't think of you as a sister."

Valerie smiled at him. "That's all I needed to know," she told him.

Kelly and Brenda walked to James and Dylan. "Brenda," Kelly said, "this is James. James, this is Brenda Walsh."

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"Why do you call him James, Kelly?" Dylan asked her.

"I've always called him James," Kelly said defensively. She looked at Brenda. "Everyone else calls him Jimmy," she said with a shrug.

"Nice to meet you too, Jimmy," Brenda said, smiling. She looked at Dylan, who was watching her. "What?"

"Where's Silver?"

"He's DJing," she told him, pointing to David.

"We're going to dance," Kelly told them, pulling Jimmy towards the dance floor.

"So you're thinking about leaving?" Brenda asked him, hurt. "When we talked you said you weren't."

Dylan sighed. "Brenda, do we have to talk about this tonight?"

Brenda shook her head. "Sorry I brought it back up," she said, walking past him.

He reached out and took her arm. "Bren, look, let's just have fun tonight, okay? I don't want you to be upset." He looked at their friends, dancing. "Do you want to dance?"

Brenda let out a breath. "Sure," she said. They walked out on the dance floor and Dylan lightly rested his hands on her hips, careful to keep a safe distance between them.

"You and Val are doing a good job on the After Dark," he told her.

"It's harder than I thought it would be," Brenda admitted, then quickly added, "Don't tell Brandon I said that."

Dylan laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good," she said, smiling. "We're all thinking about going to Texas for Donnas' ball."

"Who is "we all?"?"

"You know, the gang." Dylan nodded. "Do you think you can come?"

"I don't know, Bren. With all the work we have to do at the After Dark it would be hard to leave."

"I didn't think about that," she said, frowning. "I still think we should all go."

Dylan grinned at her. "Of course you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're always thinking about ways to make everyone else feel better."

"That's not a bad thing," she said defensively.

"It's a great thing," Dylan told her, looking into her eyes. "It's one of the reasons I love you."

His words caught her off guard. She stopped dancing. "Dylan," she said softly.

He started moving again, twirling her around. "Don't look at me like that Brenda," he told her.

"You can't just say things like that."

"Why not?" he asked her. "It's the truth."

They danced for a moment, not talking. "It just makes it harder to stay away from you, knowing that you love me," Brenda said after a moment.

Dylan sighed. "The fact that I made you doubt my love for you is reason enough for you to be with Silver."

Brenda looked up to where David was DJing and found him watching her. She smiled at him and he winked at her. "I really care about him," she told Dylan.

"I know you do, Bren. You wouldn't be with him if you didn't." He looked into her eyes. "I told you once that if we were meant to be, time would tell. We're not together right now." He shrugged. "But who knows what will happen a week from now, or a month from now, or a year from now?" He leaned down closer to her. "We will be together, Brenda. I know it."

The dance ended and he let go of her, walking out of the room. Brenda stared after him, then looked up at David. It was time to get a drink.


	27. Chapter 27

Andrea looked at her watch, then searched for Brenda and David. "Who are you looking for?" Steve asked her.

"Brenda and David. I need to leave pretty soon." Though the campus was pretty safe, it wasn't a good idea for a female to walk around it alone at night.

"I can take you home," he told her.

"I couldn't ask you to leave your party."

Steve shrugged and smiled. "There's always a party, Andrea. We'll just tell Brandon to tell Brenda and David I took you home."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Andrea found Brandon and Valerie at the pool tables. "She's killing me," Brandon groaned.

"I warned him," Valerie said with a smile.

"My woman," Steve said, giving Valerie five. "Yo, B, I'm taking Andrea back to her dorm. Will you tell Brenda?"

"Sure thing," Brandon said, frowning at the pool table. "This can't be happening," he muttered.

Laughing, Steve put his arms around Andrea's shoulders and they walked out of the house. Andrea took a deep breath. "Free at last," she said.

"You didn't like the party?"

"Oh, I did," she told him. "But I like being out of the party, too."

Steve nodded. "I get like that sometimes too."

Andrea cocked her eyebrow at him. "You? Steve Sanders? Party God?"

Steve shrugged. "I get tired of it sometimes. I have papers to write and tests to study for, but there's always a party."

Andrea studied him for a moment. "You're doing really great this year, Steve. I haven't told you yet, because you have a huge head, but I wanted you to know that I've noticed."

Steve smiled. "I don't have a big head. It's nicely proportioned." Andrea laughed. "I've been trying," he said, more seriously. "I can't just keep wasting time."

They'd walked around campus before, but this time felt different. Andrea was trying to keep her mind off of his kisses, but it was hard. She'd seen girls staring at her when they were walking off of the dance floor and she knew they were wondering what Steve saw in her. She was wondering the same thing but was too scared to ask.

"Have you decided what you're going to major in?" she asked him.

"Business, probably. I'm good with numbers and now with the After Dark, that degree would come in handy."

"I can't believe you guys are really doing it," Andrea said.

"I can't believe how hard it was to talk them all into it. I must be losing my edge."

Andrea laughed. "You could sell ice to an Eskimo."

"I try," he said, smiling at her. He reached for her hand and held it as they walked, his thumb rubbing hers.

They got to Andrea's dorm and she was suddenly nervous. Should she invite him up? Should she just kiss him goodnight? Wait…should she even kiss him goodnight?

Steve chuckled and pulled her closer to him. "Just kiss me," he said, lowering his head to hers.

Andrea smiled as she kissed him back. Steve wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. His lips sweetly teased hers and Andrea felt the last bit of her resolve melt. "Come up?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

Steve kissed her again, his eyes never leaving hers. "Are you sure?"

Wide eyed, Andrea nodded. She looked so innocent, Steve hesitated. "Please?" she asked, swallowing her pride.

Steve shook his head, cupping her face in his hands and smiling warmly at her. "You don't have to say please," he told her, looking into her eyes. "There is nothing I want more than to go up to your room."

Andrea nodded, then took his hand and led him to her room. She unlocked her door and walked inside. Steve looked around the room. "It took me two hours to get your furniture the way you wanted it," he said, laughing.

"I like it like this," Andrea told him.

"I like you like this," Steve told her. "I don't see you flustered near enough."

"I don't know what I'm doing," she admitted, walking to the bed and looking at it. "I'm scared."

Steve stood so close behind her she could feel him, though he wasn't touching her. "Are you scared of me?"

She turned and looked up at him. "No."

Steve bent his head and kissed her lightly, giving her the chance to pull back. Andrea sensed his hesitance and wrapped her arms around him, teasing his lips with her tongue. Steve groaned and wrapped his hands in her hair, pulling it loose. He walked her backwards towards the bed, slowly lowering her down on it. Standing over her, he pulled his shirt off. He ran his hands up her thighs, his fingers leaving a trail of heat in their wake. Andrea watched him, her breath catching in her throat. She couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful he was.

Steve slowly pushed her dress up, watching her face as he did. She leaned up and he pulled it over her head. Andrea was embarrassed about the plain white bra and panties she was wearing and crossed her arms over her chest. Steve took her hands and pulled them away, lowering his head to kiss her neck, moving his mouth down to her breasts. Letting go of her hands, he reached behind her to unlatch her bra, taking it off. His tongue licked around her nipple, causing her to gasp. Smiling, he moved to the other nipple, his mouth sucking gently.

Andrea felt a tug of desire in her stomach, relishing the feel of his hands and mouth on her. She forgot to be nervous, kissing his shoulder. Steve's mouth lowered to her stomach, his hands sliding the panties down off of her hips. Andrea let her legs fall open and Steve moved between them. He ran his finger over her clit, jaw clenching when she gasped again. He rubbed her with his thumb, putting two fingers inside of her. Her hips arched off of the bed and she reached for him. He stayed out of reach, continuing to move his fingers until she came, sobbing his name.

Steve stood up, undressing. He pulled a condom out of his pants and rolled it on. He stretched out over her, resting his weight on his arms. Andrea wrapped her legs around his hips, rubbing against him. He groaned. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

Andrea bit her lower lip and nodded. Steve rubbed himself against her again, smiling as she moaned. He slowly moved inside her, afraid of hurting her. Andrea rose up to meet him, taking him deep inside her. She cried out in pain and Steve stopped moving. He kissed her, moving his hand between them and touching her. Andrea slowly relaxed, becoming used to the feel of him inside her.

Steve was afraid to move, knowing that if he did he would lose control. He waited for her, trailing kisses down her neck. Her hips began moving under him and he put his head on her shoulder, letting her move. "Steve," she gasped. "Now."

Steve began moving, raising his head to watch her face. His mouth covered her as she came again, following close behind her.

Steve lay beside her, breathing hard. "Oh my God," Andrea said wonderingly. "_That's_ what I've been missing?"

Steve let out his breath in a laugh. "I guess so."

"No wonder everyone loves doing it," she said, looking at him. "Is it always like that?"

"No," he told her honestly. He looked into her eyes. "It's never been this good for me."

Andrea smiled at him. "Smooth," she told him.

"I mean it," he said softly, pushing hair off of her forehead.

Tear unexpectedly filled her eyes. "Thank you."

Steve shook his head and kissed her gently. "I don't even know what to say, Andrea."

She sighed and stretched. "When can we do it again?"

Steve laughed. "I like you, woman."

Andrea leaned over and kissed him. "Let's keep it that way."


	28. Chapter 28

Brenda couldn't find David. At least she didn't think she could…she wasn't sure if she'd actually been looking for him yet or not. Come to think of it, she wasn't sure if she'd moved from the spot she was in for several minutes.

After her dance with Dylan, Brenda had hit the kitchen. Though she'd told Andrea she wouldn't drink, she couldn't seem to stop herself. Several of Steve's buddies were playing a drinking game and Brenda had joined in. She had been so confused and upset she felt like her head was going to explode. The first shot of whiskey warmed her all the way down, calming her almost immediately. The rest of the shots went down even more smoothly.

Deciding to leave the wall she was standing against and search for David again (or for the first time), she took a small step forward. The world tilted slightly and she put her hand on the wall until she steadied herself. She took one step and someone ran into her, almost knocking her down.

"Watch it," she slurred, pushing the guy that ran into her.

"Hey sweetheart, you ran into me," the guy said, holding her arm. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she told him, not completely able to focus on his face.

"You're looking a little unsteady there, sweetness," he said. "Let me help you."

Brenda let herself be lead through the house, trying to focus on the faces of the people she passed. She didn't see any of her friends. "Am I still at the KEG party?"

"Sure are," the guy walking with her told her. "Some of my buddies go here. I'm just visiting."

"I need to find my boyfriend," she told him, suddenly feeling tired.

"I bet he's in here," the guy said, opening the door to a dark room.

Brenda stumbled into the room, almost falling when she tripped on a piece of carpet. "I can't see anything," she said, frustrated.

A light came on and she realized she was in an empty bedroom. "My boyfriend isn't in here," she accused, glaring at the man.

Smiling, he shrugged. "My mistake. Maybe we should just sit on the bed and wait for him. He'll probably come looking for you soon."

Brenda turned around to leave but the room spun again and she fell against the door. The man pulled her back towards the bed, and she fell on it. Rising up, she looked at him. "Let me out of here," she said, voice low but firm.

"Look at you," he said, sitting on the bed beside her. "You can't even walk. If you go out there, you'll fall or hurt someone else."

Brenda pushed her hair back with both hands, closing her eyes for a moment. "I. Want. To. Leave. Now."

"You just tried. Didn't make it very far, did you?"

"Shut up," she told him crossly. She scooted to the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"You should probably lie down," the man told her.

Brenda lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes, hoping she didn't throw up. "Will you go find my boyfriend? Or my brother?"

"Sure," the man said. "I'll go in just a minute." He leaned closer to her. "You're really beautiful, did you know that?"

Brenda groaned. She really was going to be sick. "Leave me alone," she told him.

He lightly touched her face and her eyes opened. "Don't touch me!" she said angrily, pushing his hands away.

"I can't help it," he told her, putting his hand under her shirt. "There's something about you…"

Brenda tried pushing his hand away but couldn't. "Stop," she told him, frightened for the first time.

He kept moving his hand up, covering her breast and squeezing. She cried out and tried to roll over but his arm turned to steel and she couldn't get away. "Play nice," he told her, chuckling.

"I don't want you touching me," she told him.

"You walked into a dark bedroom with me, laid out on the bed, and you expect me to believe that?" he asked, pinching her nipple.

"Stop!" she cried again, tears running out of the corners of her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Brenda gagged and moved her face away. "No," she said as she tried to pull her shirt off. "No!"

"If that's the way you want to be," he said pleasantly, ripping the front of her shirt and exposing her bra. "Woo, you must really like that boyfriend of yours," he said at the sight of black lace.

Brenda brought her hands up to cover herself, trying to scoot away. She screamed, but the man just laughed. "You don't think anyone can hear you over that music, do you?" he asked, roughly running his hand up her leg. "I like this skirt," he told her, pushing it up her legs. "I'll like it even better wrapped around that tiny little waist of yours."

Brenda felt nauseous. This couldn't be happening. She screamed again, praying someone would hear and come check the room. She slapped at his hands, then scratched his face. He growled and hit her across the face, stunning her. He moved his head down to bite her nipple, his fingers dipping inside her panties. Brenda bucked and kicked, trying to get him off of her. His hand came to her throat, squeezing it so she couldn't breath. With both hands she tried to pry it loose but couldn't.

"Now you listen to me," he said into her ear. "You're going to stop trying to hurt me or I'm going to knock you out. Either way, I'm going to get what I want. Do you understand?"

Lungs feeling as if they were about to explode, Brenda nodded. He released her throat and wrapped her hair in his hand, pulling it. He bit her jaw lightly, then her neck. Brenda shuddered as sobs wracked her body.

Out in the main room David found Dylan. "Where's Brenda?" he asked him.

"Why are you asking me?" Dylan asked, looking around the room. "I haven't seen her lately."

"The last time I saw her was when you two were dancing," David said, jaw clenched.

Dylan looked at him. "You've not seen her since then?" David shook his head. "Have you seen Brandon?"

David frowned. "I think he and Val are still at the pool tables." Dylan nodded and they both walked to the other room, finding Valerie and Brandon playing with a couple of other guys.

"Hey B," Dylan said, reaching his friend. "Have you seen Brenda?"

"No, but I'm supposed to tell you," he said, looking at David, "and her that Steve took Andrea home." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"I can't find her anywhere," David told him. "I've been looking for fifteen minutes."

"When was the last time you saw her?" Brandon asked, frowning.

"It's been about an hour since either of us saw her," Dylan told his friend.

"What's going on?" Valerie asked, walking up beside Brandon.

"They can't find Bren," Brandon told her.

"Could she be with Kelly?" Val asked.

Dylan shook his head. "Jimmy and Kel left about thirty minutes ago."

Brandon put his cue by the table. "Well let's look for her," he said, concerned. With as many of them together, there was no way Brenda shouldn't have been seen by at least one of them for that long. "Hey, guys, we'll have to finish this later," he told the two men they'd been playing with.

They decided to split up. Dylan went into the kitchen and asked anyone if they'd seen her. "Yeah, she was in here earlier," Steve's friend Munce told him. "She got pretty wasted."

"Brenda Walsh?" Dylan asked, shocked.

"She was throwing whiskey back pretty heavy," Munce told him, shrugging.

"Did you see where she went?"

Munce thought about it, then shook his head. "Sorry."

Dylan left the room, finding David in a hallway. "I just talked to Munce," he told his friend. "He said she's been drinking. Where are Val and Brandon?"

"Val went to check the bathrooms and Brandon is checking outside." They walked into the main room. "Why was she drinking?"

"We had a pretty rough discussion," Dylan admitted, running his hand through his hair. "She was upset."

"She's always upset when it comes to you, Dylan," David said, frustrated.

"I love her, David," Dylan told the other man, looking into his eyes. "I can't help it."

"She's with me," David reminded him. "Not you."

Dylan sighed. "I know."

"Look, we can talk about this later, okay? I just want to make sure she's okay."

Dylan nodded. They agreed to split up again and Dylan walked through the house while David took the main rooms. The music stopped suddenly and David said over the mic, "Hey Brenda, we're all looking for you. Meet me by the front door if you can hear this."

Dylan heard a muffled scream coming from behind one of the closed doors after David was done talking. "David!" he yelled, rushing toward the door. Finding it locked, he beat on it, trying to bust it open. "David!" he screamed again.

David ran to Dylan and they both began kicking it. They heard glass breaking inside the room and began kicking even harder. People gathered around them, and some of Steve's friends helped kick the door in.

David saw the man hanging halfway out of the window and rushed toward him. The man left the window before David got to him, so he jumped out of the window and ran after him. One of the men who'd helped bust the door down climbed out the window behind David and ran with him.

Dylan found Brenda curled up on the bed, sobbing. "Oh, no, Bren," he said, rushing over to her. "Get Brandon," he called to the guys standing in the doorway. "Get Brandon Walsh!" They nodded and ran out of the room.

He stood between Brenda and the door, shielding her from the eyes of all of the people standing in it, watching. "Brenda," he whispered, leaning over the bed. "Bren."

"Dylan?" she whispered, her breath catching on a sob. "Is he gone?"

Dylan sat on the bed, leaning over her. "Bren, are you okay? Can I see?"

A girl forced all of the onlookers out of the room and shut the door, leaving Dylan and Brenda in the room alone. Dylan slowly took Brenda's hand, pulling it toward him. "Did he hurt you?" he choked out.

"Yes," she sobbed, sitting up.

Dylan saw the marks on her face, the bite marks on her throat and chest. Looking into her tear filled eyes, his heart ached. "Baby," he said, cradling her face in his hands, not knowing what to say.

Brenda put her head against his chest and cried harder. When the music had stopped, she hadn't even noticed. The man attacking her had hit her again, so hard that her ears rang and she couldn't focus on his face. He had ripped her underwear off and had her legs spread, laughing at her as he'd forced his fingers inside her. He had taken his own pants off and was rubbing himself with his other hand.

Hearing David say her name, she'd screamed out before she even realized what she was doing. The man seemed to realize that the music was off at the same time and he jumped off of the bed, quickly pulling his pants up. Someone had started beating on the door and he'd thrown the lamp at the window, busting it out. Dylan and David had run in as he was trying to get away.

Brandon and Valerie ran into the room, Valerie shutting it back behind them. "Dylan?" Brandon asked, rushing to the bed. "What happened?"

Dylan looked at Brandon, unaware of the tears streaming down his own face. "Some guy was in here with her," he told his friend. "He hurt her."

Brandon stepped back, horrified. He'd been playing pool while someone had been hurting his sister. "Where's David?" Valerie asked, kneeling down beside Dylan and Brenda, rubbing her back.

"He ran after the guy," Dylan told her.

Valerie nodded. "Brenda?" she asked gently, still rubbing her back. "Brenda, can you talk to me?"

Brenda didn't say anything and Valerie looked at Brandon. "I think she's in shock," she told him. "We should get her to the hospital."

Brandon stared at her, unable to move. Valerie looked at Dylan. "I think he's in shock, too. We really need to move her, Dylan."

Dylan nodded. He slowly rose, picking her up with him. Valerie covered her up with the blanket from the bed. Brandon shook his head, focusing on Brenda. "My car is parked right out front. We'll put her in it." Dylan nodded and Brandon opened the door, creating a path through the people who were standing there. "Get back," he told everyone.

Dylan carried her out of the house and to Brandon's car. Brandon opened the back door and Dylan gently lowered himself and Brenda into the back seat. Brandon looked around for David, not finding him. "I can stay," Valerie told him. "I'll find David and bring him to the hospital, okay?"

Brandon looked down at her, pain etched into the lines of his face. "That guy hurt Brenda," he said, anguished.

Valerie put her hand on his face. "We'll find him," she promised. "You two get her to the hospital. I'll call your parents from inside."

Brandon nodded, leaning down to kiss her softly before walking around the car and getting in. Valerie watched the car pull away, then went back into the house. Looking inside her little bag, she found the number for the Walsh house, reaching Cindy and telling her what had happened. Horrified, Cindy began crying and Jim took the phone. He told her they would meet her at the hospital.

Hanging up with the Walshes, Valerie found Andrea's number. As bad as she hated to interrupt the other woman's night, she knew that she needed Steve. The phone rang several times, then the answering machine picked up. "Andrea," she said into the receiver, hoping to be heard over the noise of the party. Blue lights flashed and she realized the cops had arrived. People were leaving quickly, many not understanding what was going on. "This is Valerie. Please pick up, there's an emergency."

"Valerie?" Andrea said into the phone, breathless. "What's going on?"

"I need Steve to come back," Valerie told her. "Brenda has been attacked and David ran after the guy. The police are here."

Andrea shakily relayed the message to Steve, who took the phone. "Is Brenda alright?" he demanded.

"She's in shock," Val told him. "I'm not sure how badly she was hurt. Brandon and Dylan took her to the hospital."

"We'll be there in a minute," Steve told her. "Just stay there."

Valerie hung up the phone, hands shaking. When a police officer came into the room she walked over to him, determined to do anything she could to help them find the man who'd hurt her friend.


	29. Chapter 29

There was blood everywhere. Someone was screaming and the blue lights on the police car bathed the people standing around in unnatural light. Steve and Andrea had left her dorm room, running toward the KEG house. Halfway there they'd heard shouting and ran upon this gruesome scene.

Steve ran to David, who was being held back by two of his KEG brothers. He was covered in blood but Steve couldn't tell if any of it was his. Andrea ran to check the man on the ground, searching for a pulse. She couldn't tell what he looked like; his face was split open in several places, his nose was broken, and all of it was covered in blood.

"David," Steve said gently, putting his arms out in front of him. "David, calm down." He walked closer to his friend, trying to get the other man to look at him. "Silver," he said more forcefully. Two cops passed them, rushing towards the man on the ground. "Look at me."

David stopped struggling and stared at Steve. Steve nodded towards his friends, who let David go. Steve stepped closer to him. "David," he said again. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

David stared at Steve for a moment, a look of confusion on his face. "Steve?"

Andrea got out of the way of the police officers and stood beside Steve. "David, what happened?"

David ran his hands over his face, not realizing he was smearing even more blood on his face. "I caught him," he said simply.

"That the guy that attacked Brenda?" Steve asked.

David clenched his fists and winced. "Yeah."

Andrea reached for his hands and gasped. "David, your hands look broken."

"They'll be okay," he told her, pulling them back.

"Sir, we're going to need you to come down to the station," an officer told David.

David shook his head. "I've got to find Brenda."

"Brandon and Dylan took her to the hospital," Andrea told him. "She's being taken care of."

Another cop came up and pulled David's hands behind his back, reciting his Miranda rights. "Hey, what is this?" Steve asked, pulling on the cops arm.

The cop looked at Steve. "It looks like attempted murder to me," he told him before continuing David's rights.

"You can't seriously be arresting him," Steve said. "This man," he pointed at the guy being moved to a stretcher, "just attacked his girlfriend. She's at the hospital right now."

"I understand that, sir. But this was not self defense; this was an attack on its own."

"No," Andrea said when they started pulling a shocked David towards the car. "You can't."

"Call my dad," David told Steve as he was pushed into the car. "And tell Bren I'll be there as soon as I can."

Steve and Andrea stared at the car as it drove away. Steve looked behind him to find that his KEG brothers were giving statements. "Let's get to the house," he told Andrea, taking her hand.

Valerie was waiting on the KEG porch for them. "What happened?" she asked when they got on the porch. "Where's David? Did he catch the guy?"

Steve nodded to her and kept walking, going to look for Mel Silver's phone number. Andrea hugged Valerie. "The police arrested David," she told her new friend.

"Oh no," Valerie said. "What happened?" she repeated.

"David did catch the guy," Andrea told her with a grimace. "It looked like David tried to kill him with his bare hands."

Valerie put her hand up to her mouth. "What are we going to do?"

Andrea nodded toward the house. "Steve is going to call David's dad Mel and let him know what's happened, then we're going to ride to the hospital."

Valerie nodded, still shocked. "This is terrible. I never should have left Brenda alone."

Andrea sighed. "I've been thinking that too. You guys all came for me and look what happened."

Steve walked back onto the porch and kissed Andrea on the head. "The only person who's at fault is the man that did this to her." He looked at Valerie. "You're riding with us, right?" Valerie nodded. "Let's go then."

Steve led them to his friend Munce's car; his was only a two seater. "Did you get in touch with Mel?" Andrea asked him.

"Yeah," Steve told her, opening the doors for her and Valerie. "He's on his way down there. He'll take care of David."

"I just can't believe any of this happened," Andrea murmured, getting into the car. "Someone should call Donna."

"You can do that when we get to the hospital," Steve told her, starting the car and pulling out. "Did either of you get a look at the guy at all?"

"I came into the room after David had already jumped out of the window chasing him," Valerie told him from the back seat.

"I couldn't tell anything about him," Andrea said, shuddering. "I don't think I knew him though."

Steve sighed. "We've been having problems with locals crashing our parties." He looked at Andrea. "You've seen how crazy they get; it's hard to keep up with who's who."

"So you don't think this guy was a CU student?" Valerie asked him.

"I hope not," Steve muttered. "Munce said that Brenda had been drinking." He looked at Andrea. "I thought she told you she wasn't going to?"

Andrea blushed. "I'd probably already left when she started," she told him.

"I wonder why she was drinking," Valerie mused. "The last time I saw her she was in a good mood."

"Well, she was dancing with Dylan," Steve told them.

"Oh," both women said at the same time.

"Oh?" Steve asked them.

"Well, that whole situation is upsetting, isn't it?" Andrea asked him. "She loves Dylan but she cares a great deal for David too."

Steve shook his head. "Women," he said under his breath.

They pulled up to the hospital and Steve let Andrea and Valerie out at the front door. They asked a nurse and found Brandon and Dylan sitting in the waiting room. "Brandon!" Andrea cried, hugging him. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," he said, hugging her back. "She's not talking. The doctor is talking to mom and dad now."

Valerie walked up behind Andrea, staring at Brandon. She saw the pain in his face, noticed the tear streaks on his cheeks. Her heart hurt for him. Andrea moved to hug Dylan and Brandon looked at her. "What's going on at the house?" he asked her. "Did David catch the guy?"

"David was arrested for attempted murder," she told him. Dylan jumped up and Brandon gasped.

"What?" Dylan demanded. "What happened?"

"Calm down," Andrea told him, putting her hand on his arm.

Valerie took Brandon's hand. "David caught the guy and beat the hell out of him. The cops arrested him."

"Didn't they understand why he'd done it?" Dylan asked, frustrated. If he'd been the one to chase after the man who'd hurt Brenda, he'd have done the same thing.

"They did," Andrea told them. "Mel was heading down there. He'll work it out."

Dylan nodded, sitting down, putting his head in his hands. "Where are you going?" Brandon asked Andrea, who'd walked toward the hallway.

"I'm going to call Donna," she told him. "Let her know what happened."

Brandon nodded, looking at Valerie. She opened her arms and he reached for her, holding her tightly, breathing deeply. "I'm not okay," he told her softly.

She rubbed his back. "You will be," she told him. "Brenda will be too."

Steve came into the waiting room and Dylan updated him on what was going on. He sat beside Dylan and ran his hand through his hair. "What a mess," he said. He told Brandon and Dylan about his theory of the attacker not being a CU student.

"I didn't get a good look at him," Dylan said, "but I don't think I'd ever seen him before."

"I didn't see him at all," Brandon said, sounding defeated. He sat in a chair, pulling Valerie down to sit beside him. She held his hand, comforting him the only way she knew how.

Jim and Cindy came out of the room and the friends stood up. "What did the doctor say?" Brandon asked them.

"He said that she is in shock," Jim told him, putting his arm around Cindy, who was still crying. "They're going to keep her over night, monitor her. She had a surprisingly high blood alcohol level."

Brandon paled. "I swear dad, I didn't even realize she was drinking."

"None of us did," Dylan added, disgusted with himself for causing her upset.

Jim waved his hand. "We're going to stay here tonight. I'll call you if something happens of if there's any change." He looked at Valerie. "Did David catch the guy who did this?"

Valerie told them about David's arrest. "Oh Jim," Cindy said, crying into his shoulder. "This is so awful."

Brandon watched his parents. "Why don't you guys go ahead and go home, dad? I can stay here with her and let you know if anything happens."

Cindy shook her head. "No," she said, crying. "We need to be here."

Valerie stepped forward. "Mrs. Walsh, I know you want to be here, but maybe that's not the best thing," she said softly. "You can go home tonight and get rested for whatever's going to happen tomorrow. We'll stay here. I promise you we'll look out for her."

Cindy looked at Jim, then nodded. She couldn't stop crying and she knew that wouldn't be good for Brenda. "Call us if anything changes," she told Valerie.

Valerie smiled kindly. "We will," she told them, hugging them both.

Andrea passed them in the hall, hugging them. "What's going on?" she asked Valerie when she got back to her friends.

"Jim and Cindy are going home and Brandon and I are going to stay here with Brenda."

"I'm staying too," Dylan said quietly from his seat.

Brandon looked like he wanted to say something but didn't. He looked at Steve. "You and Andrea can head home; we'll call you if anything changes."

Steve stood up and nodded, hugging his friend. "Let me know if you need anything," Steve told him.

"I will man, thanks," Brandon told him.

Andrea hugged them, then took Steve's offered hand. "We'll see you guys in the morning," she told them.

"Can we go in to see her?" Valerie asked after they'd left.

"The doctor said he'll let us know when we can," Brandon told her. He looked at Dylan. "Are you sure you want to stay?"

Dylan looked at him, eyes full of pain, and nodded. "I'm not leaving," he said, resting his head in his hands again and closing his eyes.


	30. Chapter 30

The doctor told Brandon that they'd given Brenda a sedative and that she wasn't likely to wake up until morning. He'd tried to convince Dylan and Val to go home, but neither would. Kelly had called to check on Brenda; Andrea had called her and let her know what was going on.

Dylan came back to the room with three cups of coffee. "No one has heard from David?" he asked.

Valerie shook her head. "Not yet. Kelly said she still hasn't heard back from Mel either."

"Attempted murder, that nuts," Brandon muttered, leaning his head back.

Valerie reached for his hand and squeezed it. "It'll all work out," she told him. "I can't believe Josh Richland came tonight for an interview. I thought you two were going to kill him."

Dylan shook his head. "Thought about it."

Brandon sighed and looked at his friend. "Me too. I've worked for a newspaper and I realize how important stories are…I just never really realized how painful it was to be a story. Or to love one."

"When Cindy called a few minutes ago she said that he'd been calling the house and Jim finally threatened to get a restraining order," Valerie told them.

"Can he do that?" Dylan asked.

Brandon shrugged. "I don't know. If anyone can do it, dad can."

Dylan laughed lowly. "Oh I don't know about that, Brandon. If Jim could get a restraining order so easily, why didn't he ever get one on me?"

Brandon sighed. "He probably tried. You've always driven him crazy."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. "Why was Brenda drinking?" Valerie asked the two men.

Brandon looked at Dylan. "I wondered that too."

Dylan sighed and shrugged. "I told her I loved her. I shouldn't have."

"You're right," David said from the doorway. "You shouldn't have."

"David," Brandon said, jumping up. "Man, what happened? We've been worried."

David walked into the room and walked over to the bed. He just watched Brenda for a moment, pushing a strand of her hair back from her face. The others noticed the bandages on his hands. "After Mel got me out of the jail, I had to see a doctor here for my hands," he told them softly, holding one of them up so they could see it. He never took his eyes off of Brenda. "Broke a couple of my knuckles, three fingers."

"David, man," Dylan said, "I'm sorry."

David looked up at Dylan. "Hey, Brandon, Val; can you guys give us a minute?"

"Sure," Val said when Brandon hesitated. She stood and pulled on his hand and he got up.

"We won't be long," Brandon told the two other men, watching them. He nodded, then followed Valerie out of the room.

David pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down, wincing when his hand brushed the edge of the seat. "What the hell is going on, Dylan?" he asked.

"I messed up," Dylan told him. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"What I can't understand," David said lowly, "is why you would be telling my girlfriend you're in love with her."

Dylan sighed. "Because I am, David. It just came out."

"That's the problem with you, Dylan," David told him. "You don't think. You just act. And then when everything goes to hell, it's other people who have to deal with the consequences."

"I never meant for you this to happen, David. I hope you can believe that. I'm going to help you fight this thing," Dylan told him.

David shook his head, cutting Dylan off. "I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about Brenda." Dylan was quiet. "Every time you don't think," David continued, "Brenda gets hurt."

Dylan looked down, stung by the truthfulness of his friends words.

"You love her. Everyone knows that. That doesn't seem to stop you from hurting her."

Dylan took a deep breath. "You're right," he said, looking into his friends eyes again.

"I've never hurt her," David told him simply. "I will do my best to always protect her. I love her, Dylan." Dylan started to say something but David talked over it. "I would trust you to step in front of a bullet for her. I know that you would take on the world for her. If it had been you running after that guy, I know that one of us would have had to bail you out of jail tonight instead of me." Dylan closed his mouth and nodded. "It's not enough."

"What are you saying, David?"

"I've heard you talking about leaving for a while," David told him. "Maybe now is the best time for you to do it."

Dylan sat back in his chair, watching his friend. If it had been anyone other than David saying these things, Dylan would have kicked his ass. But Dylan realized that David really did love Brenda. It was obvious in the way he looked at her, in the way he held her hand, in the way his eyes were constantly drawn to her. "I have hurt her," Dylan said slowly, nodding. "And I've never meant to. I've been selfish, and you're right," he said again. "Brenda's the one who always gets hurt." David watched him, waiting. "We've got a lot of work going on at the Peach Pit, but with the four of you guys working there, you'd be more than capable of handling anything that came up."

David nodded. "We can do it," he said confidently.

Dylan nodded. "I guess there's nothing holding me back, then." He stood up, feeling like an old man. He looked at Brenda, then at David's bandaged hand holding hers. "I know you'll take good care of her, David," he told the other man.

David nodded, holding his free hand out to Dylan. "Be careful," he told his friend as they shook, holding Dylan's hand for a moment longer than necessary and looking into Dylan's eyes. "You're one of my best friends," David told him. "Don't stay gone forever."

Dylan smiled slightly. "Oh, I'll be back," he told his friend.

They nodded to each other and Dylan looked at Brenda once more before walking to the door. "I'll let Brandon and Val know I'm leaving."

David nodded and watched Dylan leave. He turned to look at Brenda, shocked to see her eyes open and on him. "Bren," he said, leaning toward the bed. "Are you okay?"

"David," she whispered, tears in her eyes. She opened her arms and David climbed into the bed with her. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I love you too," she told him simply, before quickly falling back to sleep.

David kissed her forehead and pulled the blanket more tightly around her. Listening to her deep and even breathing, he too was soon asleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Dylan stepped out of the room and into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. He leaned back on it and rubbed his face with his hands. He wasn't surprised that his hands shook.

"What's going on?" Brandon asked him.

Dylan looked up to find his friend sitting in a chair across the hall. "Where's Valerie?"

Brandon shrugged. "She got mad that I wouldn't actually "go" anywhere. I think she went out to get some air."

"You should have gone with her," Dylan told him. "Why didn't you?"

"I didn't know how things were going to go in there. Brenda may be asleep but I don't want anything going on in her room."

Dylan nodded. "It makes sense."

"So what's going on?" Brandon asked again.

"I'm going to leave."

Brandon nodded. "You can always come back in the morning."

Dylan chuckled, but the sound held no mirth. "No, B, I'm going to leave Beverly Hills for a while."

Brandon stood up. "What?"

Dylan moved away from the door. "David pointed out the fact that I'm always hurting Brenda. I don't mean to, Brandon, but I do." He shrugged. "He suggested that it's time I take the trip I'm always talking about."

"David Silver suggested that you leave and you're going?" Brandon asked, confused.

"I love her," Dylan told him, looking at the closed door. "But so does he." Dylan looked at his best friend. "Right now, he's what's best for her."

Brandon crossed his arms. "Just like that?"

"Don't make this harder for me than it is," Dylan told his friend, chin quivering. "Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to say that David is what Brenda needs right now?" He cleared his throat and looked away for a moment. "I'll call you every day to see how the After Dark is coming," he told Brandon.

Brandon hadn't seen Dylan so upset since his father died. "I love you man," Brandon told him, pulling him closer for a hug. "You do what you need to."

Dylan hugged him back, nodding. He pulled away and wiped a stray tear from his face. He saw Valerie walking toward him. "Take care of that one," Dylan told his friend.

Brandon looked at Valerie. Even exhausted, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "I will," he said reverently.

Dylan nodded to him and stopped to give Valerie a hug. He left without saying anything to her and she looked at Brandon, confused. "He's leaving?"

"He said that David asked him to."

Valerie nodded. "I guess the room did get a little crowded."

"He's leaving Beverly Hills," Brandon told her, watching as his friend disappeared out of sight.

"What?"

Brandon nodded. "David told him that it was time for him to go, I guess."

Valerie stared at Brandon, mouth open in shock. After a moment, she smiled slightly. "I knew you guys were all underestimating David."

"You think he's right?" Brandon asked her, surprised.

"I think that Brenda is a smart woman. She chose to bring David into her life for a reason, and she's kept him there even though Dylan has made it obvious he's seen the error of his ways and loves her. If she didn't really care about him, would she do that?"

Brandon thought about it. "I really thought that David wouldn't stand a chance once Dylan and Kelly broke up."

"David and Brenda have feelings for each other," Valerie told him. "How can you not see that?"

Brandon sighed. "I guess I wasn't looking." He watched Valerie roll her head around. "Come here," he said, pulling her closer and rubbing her back. "I know you're exhausted, Val. Thanks for being here for Brenda." He looked down into her eyes. "And for me."

Valerie smiled at him. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

Brandon looked at her. "I know that things are crazy right now, but I wanted to tell you…" he stopped for a moment and stared into her eyes. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for the way I acted the other night."  
"Which other night?"

Brandon's gaze moved to her lips, then back up. "The night that I kissed you and then acted like a jerk."

Valerie shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal. We've spent a lot of time together since then, but I just realized tonight that I'd never apologized." He leaned his head down and kissed her softly. "It's not the time or the place, but I'm sorry I acted to foolishly."

Valerie stood closer to him, letting him wrap his arms around her. "After everything you've done for me, I think I can let you off of the hook."

"Well that was easy," Brandon told her.

"Don't get the wrong idea, bucko. It's not always going to be this easy. I'm just tired," she told him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Do you think Brenda is going to be okay, Brandon?"

Brandon rested his chin on her head. "I hope so. I think so. She's stronger than you'd think, just looking at her."

"I know she is. But some things are harder to get over than others."

"I won't know what to say to her, Val. I'm not good at this stuff."

"Brandon, the other night you helped me more than anyone has ever been able to." Valerie looked up into his eyes. "Mom made me see counselors and doctors and talk to her and my aunt about everything…it was awful. But with you, I felt like everything was going to be okay."

"I'm glad," he told her. "But I don't know if I can be that guy with Brenda. She's my sister, you know? It's…uncomfortable."

"Well, maybe David can be her Brandon," Valerie suggested.

Brandon smiled. "Maybe."

Valerie elbowed him. "You'll see," she told him. She looked at the closed door. "Should we go in?"

"We should check on them," Brandon told her. He knocked softly on the door and walked in, stopping when he saw Brenda and David lying on the bed. Her head was still resting on his shoulders and he had his arms around her. Brandon looked at Valerie, who made an "I told you so face" before walking slowly back out of the room.

"See?" she said when they got back into the hallway. "He's her Brandon." They sat down in the waiting chairs, and he put his arm around her. Leaning her head onto his shoulder again, she said, "She's a lucky girl."


	32. Chapter 32

Brenda had put off shopping for her ball gown until the last minute. Everyone had tried to talk her out of going to Donnas' ball but she _needed_ to go. David was the only one who seemed to understand. She ran her thumb over the bandages on his hand as they walked toward the store. She knew that there were a million things he'd rather be doing, but he'd come with her. He looked over at her and smiled and she felt her heart warm.

She knew her make up didn't fully cover the bruises on her face and she could feel the people they passed looking at her. Instead of hiding her face in David's arm she held her head up high. She wouldn't let the man who'd put the bruises on her win.

"As soon as you pick out a dress, I'll pick out a vest to match," David told her. He knew that they were going to the ball as friends because the night was for Donna, but in this small way he wanted to be there for Brenda too. She smiled.

They walked into the store and Brenda started looking through some of the dresses. Nothing seemed to be what she was looking for; everything was either too flashy or too plain. Since it was Donnas' big night, all of the girls had decided to go with a more understated look. Brenda had loved the gowns Kelly, Andrea and Valerie had picked out. They'd all offered to come shopping with her, but Brenda had needed David. He didn't try to force her to talk and he didn't ask her any questions about the night of the party; and he was always willing to listen when she needed to.

"I'm going to go look at ties," David told her, kissing her forehead. "I'll be back to help you zip up whatever you want to try on," he told her, wiggling his eyebrows.

Brenda laughed and slightly pushed him. David had understood that she needed some physical space and hadn't pushed her to be intimate. She appreciated that and loved how he let her know he still wanted her without making a big deal out of it.

"Can I be of assistance?" one of the women who worked in the store asked her.

"Yes," Brenda told her. "I'm going to a ball in Texas; my friend is "coming out." I just can't seem to find what I'm looking for."

The woman smiled kindly at Brenda. "I can help," she told her simply, motioning for Brenda to follow her. When they got to the back of the store she held out a beautiful red dress.

"Red?" Brenda asked, reaching out to touch the dress. "Isn't that too…bold?"

"Try it on," the woman suggested.

Brenda took the dress and went into the dressing room. Sliding into the dress, she marveled at the feel of the cloth on her skin. No matter how it would look, the dress felt amazing. Unable to zip it completely, she stuck her head out of the dressing room and looked for David. "Hey," she said softly to him, calling him over.

David's smile faded as she stepped out of the dressing room. "Brenda," he whispered, his gaze drinking her in. Instead of stopping in front of her, he kept walking, holding her arms and forcing her to walk backwards into the dressing room.

"David," she started, but was cut off when his lips covered hers. His hands came up to frame her face as he leaned over her, his thumbs gently caressing her jaw.

Brenda closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, running her fingers through his hair. Her heart raced as David's tongue traced her lips, then began dancing with hers. She moved closer to him, lowering her arms to hug him tightly. David pulled his head back, breathing hard, and stared into her eyes.

"I love you," Brenda told him softly, her voice husky. His eyes widened and she could tell he was surprised. She knew he'd thought her too out of it to remember telling him she'd loved him the night she was in the hospital. Maybe he'd thought she'd said it out of gratefulness, or just because it seemed like she should. Looking at him now, she knew she needed him to believe it was the truth. She put her hands lightly on his face, looking into his eyes. "I love you, David. Truly."

David stared into her eyes, seeing the truthfulness of her words written on her face. "I love you too, Bren," he told her sincerely. They smiled at each other for a moment before a knock on the dressing room door startled them.

"Is everything okay in there?" the woman who'd helped Brenda asked.

"Yes," Brenda told her, turning around. "My boyfriend is just helping me zip up the back."

David smiled as she pulled her hair up for him to zip the dress, pressing a soft kiss against her exposed neck while zipping it. He felt Brenda shudder and had to force himself to keep pulling the zipper up instead of down. When he was done, she turned around. The heat in her eyes matched his and he was leaning his head towards her when the woman said "Well, let's see it then."

Brenda chuckled and moved past David, winking. She stepped out of the dressing room and let the woman pull her toward the mirrors at the end of the little hallway. "Just as I thought," the woman breathed. "It's perfect."

Brenda stood in front of the mirror and turned, watching the way the dress moved. She loved it. She would have never picked it out for herself, but the saleswoman was right; it was perfect.

"You look beautiful," David told her, walking up behind her and putting his arms around her waist.

"You don't think it's too much?"

"I think," David told her, looking into her eyes through the mirror, "every man there is going to hate me."

Brenda smiled, then looked at the saleswoman. "I think I'll take it," she told her.

"Lovely," the woman told her.

Brenda paid for the gown and David ordered his vest. Walking out of the store, David put the gown back over his shoulder and his other arm around Brenda. "Where to now?"

"Home please, sir," she told him. "I'm tired."

"I can do that," he told her.

"Are you going back to the After Dark?" she asked him, getting into his car after he opened the door for her.

"Probably. We've still got a lot to do."

"How's everything going?" She hadn't been to the After Dark since her attack, but Valerie was still working there every day.

David smiled at her. "Better than I'd dreamed. You should come over later."

"I think I will," she told him. "Have you guys heard from Dylan?"

David nodded. "He calls every day. Sometimes more than once. He's in France."

Brenda smiled. "He doesn't know French."

"He'll make due," David told her. Glancing over at her, his face grew serious. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Brenda sighed. "Talk about what?"

"Me telling Dylan to leave. I know you heard me, Bren."

Brenda moved in her seat so that she was facing him. "Do you think I'm upset?" she asked, confused.

"You aren't?"

Brenda took his hand. "I'm not," she said simply.

David smiled and brought her hand to his lips, kissing it. "You really love me?" he asked, again glancing at her.

"I really do," she told him, smiling. "You really love me?"

"I really do," he told her, putting her hand over his heart. "It's yours," he told her, facing her when they stopped at a red light.

With his words, much of the pain that had been sitting on Brenda's heart lifted. She put her head back on the seat and thought about dancing in her new gown. She couldn't wait.


End file.
